Belabour

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɪˈleɪ.bə/

Definitions

1. To explain or discuss a point excessively or in too much detail ; to physically beat or strike someone repeatedly
2. To argue or emphasize a topic beyond what is necessary ; to hit or thrash a person or object with force multiple times
3. To overemphasize or overelaborate a subject to an unnecessary extent ; to deliver multiple blows to someone as a form of punishment or attack

Etymology: "Belabour" is a plain formation: the prefix "be-", meaning "on, upon, about, over", attached to "labour". The sense is to work at something over and over, or to pile effort onto a thing until it is overdone, and that is how the word still reads when someone says a point has been belaboured. The same pattern produced a small family of related verbs. "Bework", "betoil" and "beswink" follow the identical model, each taking a common action word and adding "be-" to mean working at something thoroughly or excessively. "Belabour" is the one that survived in standard use, while its relatives have largely fallen out of everyday English.

Synonyms: overemphasize, harp on

Antonyms: ignore