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elaborate

 - 3 dictionary results

e⋅lab⋅o⋅rate

  [adj. i-lab-er-it; v. i-lab-uh-reyt] adjective, verb, -rat⋅ed, -rat⋅ing.
Use elaborate in a Sentence
–adjective
1. worked out with great care and nicety of detail; executed with great minuteness: elaborate preparations; elaborate care.
2. marked by intricate and often excessive detail; complicated.
–verb (used with object)
3. to work out carefully or minutely; develop to perfection.
4. to add details to; expand.
5. to produce or develop by labor.
6. Physiology. to convert (food, plasma, etc.) by means of chemical processes into a substance more suitable for use within the body.
–verb (used without object)
7. to add details in writing, speaking, etc.; give additional or fuller treatment (usually fol. by on or upon): to elaborate upon a theme or an idea.
Origin:
1575–85; < L ēlabōrātus (ptp. of ēlabōrāre) worked out, equiv. to ē- e- + labōr- work + -ātus -ate 1

Related forms:
e⋅lab⋅o⋅rate⋅ly, adverb
e⋅lab⋅o⋅rate⋅ness, noun
e⋅lab⋅o⋅ra⋅tive, adjective
e⋅lab⋅o⋅ra⋅tor, noun

Synonyms:
1. perfected, painstaking. 2. ornate. Elaborate, labored, studied apply to that which is worked out in great detail. That which is elaborate is characterized by great, sometimes even excessive, minuteness of detail: elaborate preparations for a banquet. That which is labored is marked by excessive, often forced or uninspired, effort: a labored style of writing. That which is studied is accomplished with care and deliberation, and is done purposely, sometimes even having been rehearsed: a studied pose. 3, 7. refine, improve.

Antonyms:
1. simple.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To elaborate
e·lab·o·rate   (ĭ-lāb'ər-ĭt)   
adj.  

  1. Planned or executed with painstaking attention to numerous parts or details.

  2. Intricate and rich in detail.

v.   (ĭ-lāb'ə-rāt') e·lab·o·rat·ed, e·lab·o·rat·ing, e·lab·o·rates

v.   tr.

  1. To work out with care and detail; develop thoroughly.

  2. To produce by effort; create.

v.   intr.

  1. To become elaborate.

  2. To express at greater length or in greater detail: asked me to elaborate on my proposal.


[Latin ēlabōrātus, past participle of ēlabōrāre, to work out : ē-, ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + labōrāre, to work (from labor, work).]
e·lab'o·rate·ly adv., e·lab'o·rate·ness n., e·lab'o·ra'tion n., e·lab'o·ra'tor n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean marked by complexity of detail: an elaborate lace pattern; the eye, a complicated organ; an intricate problem.
Antonym: simple
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: elab·o·rate
Pronunciation: i-'lab-&-"rAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -rat·ed; -rat·ing
of a living organism : to alter the chemical makeup of (as a foodstuff) to one more suited to bodily needs (as of assimilation or excretion); especially : to build up(complex organic compounds) from simple ingredients elaborated by the tetanus bacterium>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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