ekˈspāshēˌāt, ik-, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin expatiatus, exspatiatus, past participle of expatiari, exspatiari to wander from the course, digress, from ex- ex- (I) + spatiari to take a walk, from spatium space, walk, course — more at speed
intransitive verb
1. : to move about freely or at will : wander
fetters to be snapped asunder in order that the human spirit might expatiate at liberty — Irving Babbitt
2. : to speak or write at length or in considerable detail : elaborate , enlarge — usually used with on or upon
his knowledge of the country enabled him to expatiate with fluency on the strategical situation — C.S.Forester
the promoter of the raffle … was expatiating upon the value of the fabric — Thomas Hardy
transitive verb
1. obsolete : expand , spread
princes expatiate their dominions — Thomas Adams
2. obsolete : to allow (oneself) to expatiate
an oration wherein he expatiated himself in his praises for the nobility — William Cave
Synonyms: see discourse