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" "
"Sure, it's a big foot,
but is it lucky?"
STEVEN ADKINS
Imagine investigating unknown territory without map or guide.
As the point person, you make the first astounding discovery.
A hundred-foot waterfall. A herd of tiny striped ungulates gathered
around a lake. You call to your companions: wow, look at this!
Such a scenario may provide an etymology in a nutshell. The
verb explore is made of the Latin prefix ex- (out) and plorare (to
shout). It literally means "to cry out," possibly in astonishment
at a discovery.
As a spelunker in my youth, I spent many hours exploring
the subterranean unknown. My cave-loving companions and I
descended in anticipation of gleaming stalactites, big around as
trees. A crystalline pool in the depths of a cave. An underground
room so vast it resisted illumination from our headlamps. These
made us sigh, gasp and whoop in amazement. I can relate to the
"crying out" sense of exploration.
And I can imagine such scenarios playing out age after age
throughout human history: a wanderer's cries of disbelief and
astonishment from a first glimpse of the ocean, an unfamiliar
animal, or a rushing geyser.
Though most dictionaries hesitate to paint this fine a genesis
of the word explore, I champion this etymology. I have consid-
ered the term's relatives in my decision. Deplore means "cry out
against." To implore is to cry out urgently, making an entreaty.
Explore seems just as passionate: to cry out in the wonder of
discovery.
EXPLORE
wow, look at this!
