explore v.

"act of exploring, examination, or investigation," especially for the purpose of discovery and specifically of an unknown country or part of the earth, 1540s, from French exploration and directly from Latin explorationem (nominative exploratio) "an examination," noun of action from past-participle stem of explorare "investigate, examine" (see explore). Alternative explorement is from 1640s.

word-forming element, in English meaning usually "out of, from," but also "upwards, completely, deprive of, without," and "former;" from Latin ex "out of, from within; from which time, since; according to; in regard to," from PIE *eghs "out" (source also of Gaulish ex-, Old Irish ess-, Old Church Slavonic izu, Russian iz). In some cases also from Greek cognate ex, ek. PIE *eghs had comparative form *eks-tero and superlative *eks-t(e)r-emo-. Often reduced to e- before -b-, -d-, -g-, consonantal -i-, -l-, -m-, -n-, -v- (as in elude, emerge, evaporate, etc.).