esclarecer

to clarify

verb ehs-klah-reh-SEHR Rare

Origin: From es- + claro (Latin clarus, 'clear').

Also means

to shed light on

Usage Note

Esclarecer means to make something unclear into something understood, used for mysteries, crimes, or confused situations (esclarecer un crimen, esclarecer dudas). It is slightly more formal than aclarar, which can be used in the same way. It follows the -cer pattern: the c changes to zc in the first-person singular present (esclarezco).

Examples

"La policía trabaja para esclarecer el caso."

Natural Translation

The police are working to clarify the case.

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