Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
elaborate [adjective ih-lab-er-it; verb ih-lab-uh-reyt] ExamplesWord Origin adjective
- worked out with great care and nicety of detail; executed with great minuteness: elaborate preparations; elaborate care.
- marked by intricate and often excessive detail; complicated; ornate.
verb (used with object), e·lab·o·rat·ed, e·lab·o·rat·ing.
- to work out carefully or minutely; develop to perfection.
- to add details to; expand.
- to produce or develop by labor.
- 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), e·lab·o·rat·ed, e·lab·o·rat·ing.
- to add details in writing, speaking, etc.; give additional or fuller treatment (usually followed by on or upon): to elaborate upon a theme or an idea.
Origin of elaborate 1575–85; Latin ēlabōrātus (past participle of ēlabōrāre) worked out, equivalent to ē- e-1 + labōr- work + -ātus -ate1 Related formse·lab·o·rate·ly, adverbe·lab·o·rate·ness, noune·lab·o·ra·tive, adjectivee·lab·o·ra·tor, nounnon·e·lab·o·rate, adjectivenon·e·lab·o·rate·ly, adverbnon·e·lab·o·rate·ness, nounnon·e·lab·o·rat·ing, adjectivenon·e·lab·o·ra·tive, adjectivequa·si-e·lab·o·rate, adjectivequa·si-e·lab·o·rate·ly, adverbself-e·lab·o·rat·ed, adjectivesu·per·e·lab·o·rate, adjectivesu·per·e·lab·o·rate·ly, adverbsu·per·e·lab·o·rate·ness, nounun·e·lab·o·rate, adjectiveun·e·lab·o·rate·ly, adverbun·e·lab·o·rate·ness, nounun·e·lab·o·rat·ed, adjectivewell-e·lab·o·rat·ed, adjectiveSynonym study 2. 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. Examples from the Web for well-elaborated Historical Examples of well-elaborated
A month passed in concluding the details of this well-elaborated plan.
Willis Fletcher Johnson
Their own histories would be closely inquired into; the well-elaborated scheme might end in failure after all.
Edward Frederick Knight
British Dictionary definitions for well-elaborated elaborate adjective (ɪˈlæbərɪt)
- planned or executed with care and exactness; detailed
- marked by complexity, ornateness, or detail
verb (ɪˈlæbəˌreɪt)
- (intr; usually foll by on or upon) to add information or detail (to an account); expand (upon)
- (tr) to work out in detail; develop
- (tr) to make more complicated or ornate
- (tr) to produce by careful labour; create
- (tr) physiol to change (food or simple substances) into more complex substances for use in the body
Derived Formselaborately, adverbelaborateness, nounelaboration, nounelaborative (ɪˈlæbərətɪv), adjectiveelaborator, nounWord Origin for elaborate C16: from Latin ēlabōrāre to take pains, from labōrāre to toil Word Origin and History for well-elaborated elaborate adj.
1590s, “produced by labor,” from Latin elaboratus, past participle of elaborare “to exert oneself” (see elaboration). Meaning “very detailed” is from 1620s.
elaborate v.
c.1600, “to build up from simple elements,” from Latin elaboratus, past participle of elaborare (see elaboration). Meaning “to work out in detail” is attested from 1610s. Related: Elaborated; elaborating.