What does -splain mean? The combining form -splain is used like a suffix meaning “to explain or comment on something in a condescending or overconfident manner.” It is occasionally used in slang terms. In most instances, the first element of the word describes the perspective of the "explainer," e.g., mansplain. The form -splain comes from the word mansplain, meaning “to explain something to a woman in a condescending, overconfident, and often inaccurate or oversimplified manner, typically to a woman already knowledgeable about the topic.” The form -splain in this sense is extracted from explain.
By shortening and alteration of explain
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Somebody needs to ‘splain to people how hard it is to make a muon collider.”
From Science Magazine • Dec. 8, 2023
Evans wanted to ’splain himself in secret before his colleagues cast a public vote, probably next week.
From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2019
“Mrs. Dowdel, let me ’splain something to you,” the sheriff bawled.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
Well, dat's a subject dat you can't understand, and I haven't time to 'splain it.
From The Ranger or The Fugitives of the Border by Ellis, Edward Sylvester
Say little and you ain't gwine to have a heap to 'splain hereafter.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves South Carolina Narratives, Part 4 by Work Projects Administration
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
