Belabouring

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To explain or discuss a subject in excessive detail or at length ; to hit or beat someone or something repeatedly and with force
2. To dwell on a point beyond what is necessary ; to strike or thrash physically many times
3. To overly focus on or go over a topic again and again ; to deliver repeated blows or strikes to a person or object

Etymology: "Belabour" is built from "be-", an old intensive prefix meaning thoroughly or all over, and "labour", which in its original sense meant to toil or strike with effort. The verb "belabour" therefore began as a word for hitting something thoroughly, and its sense of beating a person with a stick or fist carries that original force. Its figurative use, going over a point again and again, grew out of the same idea of working at something until it is worn down. The "be-" prefix is the key to the word's shape. In Old English, "be-" could turn a verb into one that acts on something thoroughly, as in "bedaub" or "besprinkle." "Belabour" follows that pattern, and its earliest English meanings were physical, so the verb is essentially "labour at" in the sense of pummelling. The spelling "belabour" is the British form; American English uses "belabor," and both forms carry the same verb and the same two-part structure.

Synonyms: overworking, repeating, dwelling, drilling, expounding

Antonyms: summarizing, condensing, simplifying, skimming, glossing