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dilate

di·late

UK/daɪˈleɪt/ US/ˈdaɪ.leɪt/ rare archaic obsolete

verb

1.

become wider

  • “His pupils were dilated”
Synonyms
2.

add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing

  • “She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

First attested in 1399, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dilaten (“to delay, tarry”), borrowed from Latin dīlātus, perfect passive participle of Latin dīfferō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)). If so, Doublet of defer and differ; see also infer, relate and refer, collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prefer and prelate among others. Alternatively, from Latin dīlātō, see Etymology 1.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.