expatiate

[ ik-spey-shee-eyt ]

/ ɪkˈspeɪ ʃiˌeɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR expatiate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), ex·pa·ti·at·ed, ex·pa·ti·at·ing.

to enlarge in discourse or writing; be copious in description or discussion: to expatiate upon a theme.

Archaic. to move or wander about intellectually, imaginatively, etc., without restraint.

RELATED WORDS

expound, develop, enlarge, dilate

Nearby words

Origin of expatiate

1530–40; < Latin expatiātus past participle of ex(s)patiārī to wander, digress, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + spatiārī to walk about, derivative of spatium space; see -ate¹

Related formsex·pa·ti·a·tion, nounex·pa·ti·a·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for expatiate

Mourdock was not the only Republican candidate to expatiate on the subject of rape.
The Tea Party: the GOP's Own Worst Enemy|David Frum|November 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Now, beloved reader, it behoves us to define and distinguish, as well as amplify and expatiate.
Flowers of Freethought|George W. Foote
There were not wanting advocates to expatiate upon the nature of this grievance, which, however, was not redressed.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.II.|Tobias Smollett
And as they rode homeward Grimes went on to expatiate at length upon Marian's reputed literary tastes and acquirements.
The Thorn in the Nest|Martha Finley

It cannot be necessary to expatiate at all upon the nature of the offence.
The Trial of Charles Random de Berenger, Sir Thomas Cochrane,|William Brodie Gurney
But it is not my intention to expatiate with the same minuteness on the whole series of the Byzantine history.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|Edward Gibbon

British Dictionary definitions for expatiate

expatiate

/ (ɪkˈspeɪʃɪˌeɪt) /

verb (intr)

(foll by on or upon) to enlarge (on a theme, topic, etc) at length or in detail; elaborate (on)

rare to wander about

Derived Formsexpatiation, nounexpatiator, noun

Word Origin for expatiate

C16: from Latin exspatiārī to digress, from spatiārī to walk about

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for expatiate

expatiate

1530s, "walk about, roam freely," from Latin expatiatus/exspatiatus, past participle of expatiari/exspatiari "wander, digress," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + spatiari "to walk, spread out," from spatium (see space). Meaning "talk or write at length" is 1610s. Related: Expatiated; expatiating.