involving many carefully arranged parts or details; detailed and complicated in design and planning 精巧的;复杂的;详尽的;精心设计(或制作)的 elaborate security precautions. 详尽的安全防范措施。 elaborate wrought-iron gates. 精巧的熟铁门。 ■(of an action) lengthy and exaggerated (动作)煞费苦心的 he made an elaborate pretence of yawning. 他煞费苦心地假装打了一个哈欠。
verb
[with obj.]develop or present (a theory, policy, or system) in detail 详尽阐述(理论,政策,体系) the key idea of the book is expressed in the title and elaborated in the text. 该书的主要观点在书名中提出并在全书中得到详尽的阐述。 ■[no obj.]add more detail concerning what has already been said 详尽说明,发挥 he would not elaborate on his news. 他不会详尽说明他的消息。
[with obj.](Biology)(of a natural agency) produce (a substance) from its elements or simpler constituents (生)(自然力)使简单成分合成为(物质)
late 16th cent. (in the sense 'produced by effort of labour', also in sense 2 of the verb): from Latin elaborat- 'worked out', from the verb elaborare, from e- (variant of ex-) 'out' + labor 'work'