elaborate

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++e·lab·o·rate1 /ɪˈlæbərət/ ●●○ adjective  1  COMPLICATEDhaving a lot of small parts or details put together in a complicated way 详尽的；复杂的 SYN intricate pure silks embroidered with elaborate patterns 绣有精美图案的真丝衣服► see thesaurus at complicated2  carefully planned and organized in great detail 精心制作的 SYN complex a very elaborate telecommunications network 非常精密的电信网络 —elaborately adverb an elaborately carved wooden statue 做工精美的木雕

Examples from the Corpus

elaborate• The propagation of Aponogeton from seeds is elaborate and slow and requires special tanks without fish.• Cho and Lee celebrated their new partnership at an elaborate banquet.• The diaries have been published in one volume, with elaborate biographical notes by Professor Emson.• The interior is more elaborate, but has also been more altered in later ages.• Nick examined the elaborate carvings on the tomb.• Seven ruff, without as yet their elaborate courtship adornments, fed at the northern tip of a tyke.• The lawyer had concocted an elaborate defence that gave a totally false impression of what happened.• Police said they were elaborate devices, of similar construction, designed to give the impression they were bombs.• She had prepared an elaborate excuse for her absence.• Elaborate murals had been painted on three of the four walls.• Simple simulations can be as effective for training purposes as more elaborate ones and can certainly be more cost effective.• But Frank Bascombe, for all his hapless domestic incompetence and elaborate self-pity, was interesting and kind of likable.• He did not typically employ elaborate statistics to test hypotheses or use control groups in his research.• Mike had worked out an elaborate system for categorizing his collection of CDs.• an elaborate tattoo of an eagle• Sociologists have been coming up with increasingly elaborate theories to explain unsafe sexual practices.• After our return to Wichita, the master worked out an elaborate tour, with a record number of weekly performances.e·lab·o·rate2 /ɪˈlæbəreɪt/ verb  [intransitive, transitive]DETAIL to give more details or new information about something 详尽说明；阐述 SYN enlarge He said he had new evidence, but refused to elaborate any further. 他声称有新证据，但拒绝进一步详细说明。elaborate on McDonald refused to elaborate on his reasons for resigning. 麦克唐纳拒绝细说他辞职的原因。 —elaboration /ɪˌlæbəˈreɪʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

elaborate• What exactly do you mean by "traditional education"? Would you care to elaborate?• I say, and wait for him to elaborate.• These could include tapping the Federal Financing Bank or a $ 40 billion currency stabilization fund, though Rubin declined to elaborate.• I suppose you wouldn't care to elaborate further?• This approach is elaborated in Chapter 5.• This simple story line was elaborated in the works of Hesiod, Aeschylus, Lucian, Ovid, and others.• This argument will be elaborated more fully in the next chapter.• The process can, of course, be elaborated, on the basis of a suitably detailed marketing strategy.• I would like now to elaborate upon the points raised in my introduction.elaborate on• Lally refused to elaborate on her earlier statement.Origin elaborate1 (1400-1500) Latin elaboratus, past participle of elaborare “to work out”

e·lab·o·rate1 adjectivee·lab·o·rate2 verbChineseSyllable  

parts small lot having put or of Corpus a details

elaborate

I

e‧lab‧o‧rate¹ /ɪˈlæbərət, ɪˈlæbərɪt/ adjective1. having a lot of small parts or details put together in a complicated way
   SYN  intricate:
    pure silks embroidered with elaborate patterns
2. carefully planned and organized in great detail
   SYN  complex:
    a very elaborate telecommunications network
—elaborately adverb:
    an elaborately carved wooden statue
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ complicated consisting of a lot of different parts or details and therefore difficult to understand: The rules of the game seemed very complicated. | I didn’t realize programming the VCR would be so complicated. | The brain is like a very powerful, very complicated computer. | a complicated issue
   ▪ complex a complex process, relationship etc is difficult to understand because it has a lot of parts that are all connected in different ways: The chemical processes involved are extremely complex. | the complex relationship between government and the media
   ▪ elaborate having a lot of parts or details and very carefully planned, but often more complicated than is necessary: Mike had worked out an elaborate system for categorizing his collection of DVDs. | The plan to kidnap her had become even more elaborate. | Sociologists have been coming up with increasingly elaborate theories to explain unsafe sexual practices.
   ▪ involved very long and complicated – use this especially about something that you think should be made simpler: The system for choosing candidates is very involved, and I won’t go into it here. | Adopting a child can be a long involved process.
   ▪ convoluted too complicated and difficult to understand – used especially about someone’s language or arguments, or about a system: convoluted sentences | Procedures for government funding have become more convoluted. | James’s books are full of long paragraphs and convoluted sentences, which many people do not find appealing.
   ▪ intricate having a lot of small parts or details – used especially about something that is cleverly designed or made: Lasers are used to cut intricate designs in the metal. | The farmers use an intricate system of drainage canals. | the intricate workings of a watch | intricate patterns of coloured marble

II

e‧lab‧o‧rate² /ɪˈlæbəreɪt/ verb
[intransitive and transitive] to give more details or new information about something
   SYN  enlarge:
    He said he had new evidence, but refused to elaborate any further.
    elaborate on
    McDonald refused to elaborate on his reasons for resigning.
—elaboration /ɪˌlæbəˈreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable and countable]