During a random dictionary delve last week I learned that “explore” once meant to cry out. It comes from an old Latin word formed from the prefix “ex-“, describing outwardness, and “plorare”, meaning to cry or weep. Compare “implore” – to beg, cry for something – and “deplore” – to berate, ‘cry of’ something or somebody.
The OED explains (“ex + “planō”, meaning to level off, flatten for understanding) that “explore” may originally have referred to hunters, shouting to scare up animals lurking in the area around them. Exploration was always somewhat predatory, then, perhaps a little anguished. I have to admit, I got misty-eyed on discovering all this, thinking about how this word I’ve written a million times in videogame reviews is a kind of silenced wail.
