Gloss

 WORD OF THE DAY

gloss / verb / GLAHSS

Definition
1a: to provide a gloss for
1b: explain, define
1c: interpret
2: to dispose of by false or perverse interpretation

Examples
"Glossing the process, [Janelle Shane] told me, 'As the algorithm generates text, it predicts the next character based on the previous characters—either the seed text, or the text it has generated already.'"
— Jacob Brogan, Slate, 9 May 2017

"...trying to gloss away the irrationalities of the universe"
 — Irwin Edman

Did You Know?

You likely know gloss as a noun meaning "shine," or as part of the phrase gloss over, meaning "to treat or describe (something) as if it were not important," but those uses are unrelated to the other verb use of gloss.
It comes from the noun gloss that refers primarily to a brief explanation.
It is Greek in origin, coming from glossa or glotta, meaning "tongue," "language," or "obscure word."
Glossary is from this same root, as are two anatomical terms: glottis refers to the elongated space between the vocal cords and also to the structures that surround this space; epiglottis refers to the thin plate of flexible cartilage in front of the glottis that folds back over and protects the glottis during swallowing.