de·tail
 Audio Help (dĭ-tāl', dē'tāl') Pronunciation Key
n.
- An individual part or item; a particular. See Synonyms at item.
- Particulars considered individually and in relation to a whole: careful attention to detail.
- A minor or an inconsequential item or aspect; a minutia: skipped the details to get to the main point.
- A minute or thorough treatment or account: went into detail about his travels.
- A discrete part or portion of a work, such as a painting, building, or decorative object, especially when considered in isolation.
- A representation of such a part or portion: a detail of a Rembrandt portrait illustrating the technique of chiaroscuro.
- A small elaborated element of a work of art, craft, or design.
- Such elements considered together: the intricate detail of a rococo altarpiece.
- The rendering of artistic detail: the fine detail of the painter's brushwork.
- The selection of one or more troops for a particular duty, usually a fatigue duty.
- The personnel so selected.
- The duty assigned: garbage detail.
- A small elaborated element of a work of art, craft, or design.
- Such elements considered together: the intricate detail of a rococo altarpiece.
- The rendering of artistic detail: the fine detail of the painter's brushwork.
- The selection of one or more troops for a particular duty, usually a fatigue duty.
- The personnel so selected.
- The duty assigned: garbage detail.
- The selection of one or more troops for a particular duty, usually a fatigue duty.
- The personnel so selected.
- The duty assigned: garbage detail.
tr.v.
(dĭ-tāl') de·tailed, de·tail·ing, de·tails
- To report or relate minutely or in particulars.
- To name or state explicitly: detailed the charges against the defendant.
- To provide with artistic or decorative detail: detailed the quilt with colorful appliqué.
- To select and dispatch for a particular duty.
- To clean (a car interior, for example) meticulously.
[French détail, from Old French detail, a piece cut off, from detaillir, to cut up : de-, de- + tailler, taillier, to cut; see tailor.]
de·tail'er n.
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