Expand

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪkˈspænd/

Definitions

1. To increase in size, scope, or volume, or to make something larger or more comprehensive
2. To become larger, more extensive, or more elaborate, or to cause an object or concept to grow in size or scope
3. To grow in physical dimensions or details, or to enlarge an idea, structure, or system in various aspects

Etymology: The verb "expand" comes to English from Latin "expandere," built from "ex-" meaning "out" and "pandere," meaning "to spread." That sense of spreading something outward still lies under every modern use, whether a balloon swelling or a company growing. The Latin verb reached English by way of Anglo-Norman "espaundre," and English speakers were using it by the early 1400s, with the earliest recorded forms appearing as "expanden" and "expaunden" in 1422. One surprise is that "expand" and "spawn" are close relatives that took different routes. Both descend from the same Latin root, but "spawn" came into English through a different channel, so the two words are doublets: a single ancient word that split into two forms in English, one that sounds fancy and one that sounds earthy.

Synonyms: enlarge, extend, increase, magnify, broaden

Antonyms: contract, shrink, reduce, diminish, compress