*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ELI5

Acronym of explain like I'm five [years old].

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
phrase

Provide an explanation that is very easy to understand.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Acronym of explain like I'm five [years old].

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "acro:-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "sqbrace",
      "args": {
        "1": "years old"
      },
      "expansion": "[years old]"
    },
    {
      "name": "acro",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "explain like I'm five [years old]"
      },
      "expansion": "Acronym of explain like I'm five [years old]"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "acro:-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "explain",
      "explain#English"
    ],
    [
      "like",
      "like#English"
    ],
    [
      "I'm",
      "I'm#English"
    ],
    [
      "five",
      "five#English"
    ],
    [
      "year",
      "year#English"
    ],
    [
      "old",
      "old#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "phrase",
      "glosses": [
        "Provide an explanation that is very easy to understand."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet"
      ],
      "recordId": "e5411f1e375be2299492427345a446d4d1defbcf4cc7f8bb8e71bbf6dcad1c54",
      "rawRecordSha256": "25e2233e0c498f515464e626a8a571518892c260fc85c193011113a1516d90e5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5743314
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ELI5 →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-RUxJNQ