elaborate
part of speech
adjective (elaborate, more elaborate) — pronounced ih-LAB-er-it; verb (elaborate, elaborates, elaborated, elaborating) — pronounced ih-LAB-er-ate
meaning for a pupil
1) (adjective) Having many parts or details; carefully planned and complicated: «an elaborate costume». tree →
2) (verb) To give more details or explain more: «Can you elaborate on your answer?» tree →
3) (verb, formal) To develop a plan or idea in detail. tree →
sense in the lessons
In English lessons: teachers ask pupils to elaborate — add detail and examples to answers. In art and design: elaborate patterns, costumes, cakes. In stories: an elaborate plan or trick. Phrases: «elaborate on», «an elaborate plan», «elaborate decorations».
examples
- But the time of its composition and the name of its author have not yet been ascertained, despite of the most elaborate researches of renowned archaeologists. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
- The princess wore an elaborate gown with gold stitching. tree →
- Can you elaborate on why you think the character is sad? tree →
- The thieves made an elaborate plan to steal the jewels. tree →
- Grandma baked an elaborate three-layer cake. tree →
- The cathedral has elaborate carvings. tree →
- "Please elaborate," said the teacher, "your answer is too short." tree →
- The magician's trick was very elaborate. tree →
- It is a trifle too elaborate. tree →
note
The adjective and verb are spelled the same but sound different (adjective ends «-it», verb ends «-ate»). Verb takes «on»: «elaborate on something». Noun: «elaboration». Opposite of the adjective: «simple», «plain».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «elaborate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.