I need to find a word that would have a reasonably close meaning to: 

> 
> a collection of facts and arguments used to arrive at an explanation [of some (thing|concept|idea|...)]
> 
> 
> 

More generally, I would appreciate if someone can give leads to *how* to create|construct or search for words expressing a given meaning. I've found the [OneLook Reverse Dictionary](http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml). What other tools are available to achieve this?