elaborate

[adj. ih-lab-er-it; v. ih-lab-uh-reyt] /adj. ɪˈlæb ər ɪt; v. ɪˈlæb əˌreɪt/
adjective
1.
worked out with great care and nicety of detail; executed with great minuteness:
elaborate preparations; elaborate care.
Synonyms: perfected, painstaking.
Antonyms: simple.
2.
marked by intricate and often excessive detail; complicated; ornate.
verb (used with object), elaborated, elaborating.
3.
to work out carefully or minutely; develop to perfection.
Synonyms: refine, improve.
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), elaborated, elaborating.
7.
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.
Synonyms: refine, improve.
Origin
1575-85; < Latin ēlabōrātus (past participle of ēlabōrāre) worked out, equivalent to ē- e-1 + labōr- work + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
elaborately, adverb
elaborateness, noun
elaborative, adjective
elaborator, noun
nonelaborate, adjective
nonelaborately, adverb
nonelaborateness, noun
nonelaborating, adjective
nonelaborative, adjective
quasi-elaborate, adjective
quasi-elaborately, adverb
self-elaborated, adjective
superelaborate, adjective
superelaborately, adverb
superelaborateness, noun
unelaborate, adjective
unelaborately, adverb
unelaborateness, noun
unelaborated, adjective
well-elaborated, adjective
Synonym 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 elaborate
  • These stores made it a cinch to expand his original plan for simple tuna sandwiches into a more elaborate salad.
  • Explanations of general semantics can become pretty elaborate pretty fast, but the basic idea sounds simple enough.
  • Cross would not elaborate on which services were involved, however.
  • Here comes a woman in an equally elaborate outfit.
  • Some are primitively simple, others immensely elaborate.
  • Landscapes often overlap, thus forming elaborate mosaics of peoples and places.
  • If that is not your intended meaning, then please elaborate.
  • One ranch pampers guests in its elaborate, Thai-style spa.
  • We have some far more elaborate and ornamental world maps from a similar period.
  • He began limping at the end of the match and said he also had an injury, but he declined to elaborate.
British Dictionary definitions for elaborate

elaborate

adjective (ɪˈlæbərɪt)
1.
planned or executed with care and exactness; detailed
2.
marked by complexity, ornateness, or detail
verb (ɪˈlæbəˌreɪt)
3.
(intransitive; usually foll by on or upon) to add information or detail (to an account); expand (upon)
4.
(transitive) to work out in detail; develop
5.
(transitive) to make more complicated or ornate
6.
(transitive) to produce by careful labour; create
7.
(transitive) (physiol) to change (food or simple substances) into more complex substances for use in the body
Derived Forms
elaborately, adverb
elaborateness, noun
elaboration, noun
elaborative (ɪˈlæbərətɪv) adjective
elaborator, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Latin ēlabōrāre to take pains, from labōrāre to toil
Word Origin and History for elaborate
adj.

1590s, "produced by labor," from Latin elaboratus, past participle of elaborare "to exert oneself" (see elaboration). Meaning "very detailed" is from 1620s.

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.