'explore' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'explorare,' where 'ex-' meant 'out of' and 'plorare' meant 'to cry out' or 'to search out'.

'explore' changed from Old French forms such as 'esplorer'/'explorer' and entered Middle English as 'exploren', eventually becoming the modern English word 'explore'.

Initially it meant 'to reconnoitre or search out (often by calling out)', but over time it evolved into the current sense of 'to travel through, investigate, or examine in order to learn about'.