Adjacent Words

Expatiate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EXPA'TIATE, v.i. [L. expatior; ex and spatior, to wander, to enlarge in discourse, spatium, space, probably allied to pateo, to open.
1. To open at large; to rove without prescribed limits; to wander in space without restraint.
He bids his soul expatiate in the skies.
Expatiate free o'er all this scene of man.
2. To enlarge in discourse or writing; to be copious in argument or discussion. On important topics the orator thinks himself at liberty to expatiate.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: 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" [syn: elaborate, lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound, dilate] [ant: abbreviate, abridge, contract, cut, foreshorten, reduce, shorten]

Merriam Webster's

intransitive verb (-ated; -ating) Etymology: Latin exspatiatus, past participle of exspatiari to wander, digress, from ex- + spatium space, course Date: 1538 1. to move about freely or at will ; wander 2. to speak or write at length or in detail <expatiating upon the value of the fabric — Thomas Hardy> • expatiation noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.intr. (usu. foll. by on, upon) speak or write at length or in detail. Derivatives: expatiation n. expatiatory adj. Etymology: L exspatiari digress (as EX-(1), spatium SPACE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Expatiate Ex*pa"ti*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Expatiated; p. pr. & vb. n. Expariating.] [L. expatiatus, exspatiatus, p. p. of expatiari, exspatiari, to expatiate; ex out + spatiari to walk about spread out, fr. spatium space. See Space.] 1. To range at large, or without restraint. Bids his free soul expatiate in the skies. --Pope. 2. To enlarge in discourse or writing; to be copious in argument or discussion; to descant. He expatiated on the inconveniences of trade. --Addison.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Expatiate Ex*pa"ti*ate, v. t. To expand; to spread; to extend; to diffuse; to broaden. Afford art an ample field in which to expatiate itself. --Dryden.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Rove at large, range at will, take a wide survey. 2. Dilate, enlarge, descant, be copious, launch out.

Moby Thesaurus

amplify, descant, detail, develop, dilate, discuss, dissert, dissertate, elaborate, enlarge, enlarge upon, evolve, expand, explicate, narrate, particularize, ramble, recite, recount, rehearse, rehearse in extenso, relate, relate at large, sermonize, unfold, work out