exegesis

noun

ex·​e·​ge·​sis ˌek-sə-ˈjē-səs 

ˈek-sə-ˌjē-

plural exegeses ˌek-sə-ˈjē-(ˌ)sēz 

ˈek-sə-ˌjē-

: exposition, explanation

… politicians accustomed to speaking in 20-second sound bites suddenly began regaling (empty) galleries with windy, tendentious exegeses of the Founding Fathers' thoughts on the role of the Senate in confirming judges.

—Jacob Weisberg

especially : an explanation or critical interpretation of a text

As an exegesis, though, it's nicely done, and Kennedy traces Sontag's main themes deftly along tortuous paths through both essays and fiction.

—Larissa MacFarquhar

Did you know?

Theological scholars have long been preoccupied with interpreting the meanings of various passages in the Bible. In fact, because of the sacred status of the Bible in both Judaism and Christianity, biblical interpretation has played a crucial role in both of those religions throughout their histories. English speakers have used the word exegesis—a descendant of the Greek term exēgeisthai, meaning "to explain" or "to interpret"—to refer to explanations of Scripture since the early 17th century. Nowadays, however, academic writers interpret all sorts of texts, and exegesis is no longer associated mainly with the Bible.

Synonyms

• clarification
• construction
• elucidation
• explanation
• explication
• exposition
• illumination
• illustration
• interpretation
• road map

Examples of exegesis in a Sentence

a psychobiography that purports to be the definitive exegesis of the late president's character

Recent Examples on the Web

The work is already its own exegesis and its own self-interrogation. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024

Still, our Judaism—if that’s the word for it—affirmed idiosyncrasy, worldliness, dignity, science, exegesis, law, property, gradualism, poetic license, peace, freedom, memory, and humor. —Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024

And at the center was Page, providing the breathtakingly clinical exegesis of a shattered man who put vanity before devotion. —Peter Marks, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023

Artists and Goddesses At Schiaparelli, for example, Daniel Roseberry provided an exegesis on the virtue of dialogue: between art and fashion, past and present. —Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 4 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek exēgēsis, from exēgeisthai to explain, interpret, from ex- + hēgeisthai to lead — more at seek

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above

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