DILATE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Dilate

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/daɪlˈeɪt/ Listen

verb

Dilate v. t. (past & past part. dilated; pres. part. dilating)

To expand; to distend; to enlarge or extend in all directions; to swell; opposed to contract; as, the air dilates the lungs; air is dilated by increase of heat.

To enlarge upon; to relate at large; to tell copiously or diffusely. (R.) "Do me the favor to dilate at full What hath befallen of them and thee till now."

Synonyms: To expand; swell; distend; enlarge; spread out; amplify; expatiate.

Dilate v. i.

To grow wide; to expand; to swell or extend in all directions. "His heart dilates and glories in his strength."

To speak largely and copiously; to dwell in narration; to enlarge; with on or upon. "But still on their ancient joys dilate."

adjective

Dilate adj. Extensive; expanded. (Obs.)

See images of 'Dilate'

Etymology of 'Dilate'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Dilate" Quotes from Famous Books

... gay, ringing laugh of the daredevil French soldier; he seemed to expand and dilate with satisfaction. It was the old story: the French trooper going about the world with his girl on his arm and a glass of good wine in his hand; thrones upset and kingdoms conquered in the singing ...

— The Downfall • Emile Zola

... throne in white robes, with palms in their hands, and crowns of glory on their heads, crying-out, "Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb!" Tell me, does not this view dilate the parent's heart, and make him thankful that he has a sainted child in heaven? Weep for those you have with you, who live under the shades of a moral death, who have entered upon a thorny pilgrimage, and are exposed to the ravages of sin; oh, weep ...

— The Christian Home • Samuel Philips

... with the miseries which the troops suffered that night, and this being the case, it would be ungracious to dilate upon the sumptuous nature of the feast within the farmhouse. Let it suffice that during its discussion the brigadier cast over the situation and was ready, with the coffee which Madam Embonpoint contributed to the entertainment, with his plan to amend the chaos which the elements had made ...

— On the Heels of De Wet • The Intelligence Officer

... I shall not dilate, gentlemen, on my amazement at the sight of such a change. And, as a matter of fact, how could that peaceable, modest lad suddenly turn into a tipsy good-for-nothing? Was it possible that all this had been concealed within him since his childhood, ...

— A Reckless Character - And Other Stories • Ivan Turgenev

... of experiment, is available to us only in the form of castration. I need not dilate on the inadequacy of this application of the experimental method, even apart from the fact that it subserves our purposes almost exclusively in respect of the male sex—for in the case of young girls, castration ...

— The Sexual Life of the Child • Albert Moll

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