本文经授权转载自微信公众号：田间小站
TOEFL TEM8 GRE
外刊例句
- It is also about rocks themselves—Ms Fleming dilates on their characteristics and variety as she clambers up or across them.
它也讲述了岩石本身——弗莱明女士在攀爬或穿过岩石时详细描述了岩石的特征和种类。
——《经济学人》 - A typical remedy is to stretch or dilate the urethra, a minimally invasive procedure that is often performed with general anesthesia, Dr. Lepor said.
莱波博士说，一种典型的治疗方法是拉伸或扩张尿道，这是一种微创手术，通常在全身麻醉下进行。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[verb] make or become wider, larger, or more open
[动词] 使或变得更宽、更大或更开
深入解读
从拼写上来看， dilate 与小站（微信公众号：田间小站）推送过的 assimilate, speculate, vacillate, immaculate, manipulate, insulate, escalate 等一样都是以 late 结尾的单词，几者可以一并联想记忆。
从词源上来看， dilate 则与小站在熟词僻义栏目中推送过的 latitude 同源，两者都源自于拉丁语 lātus （宽、广、阔）。其中 dilate 经古法语 dilater 或者直接由晚期拉丁语 dilatare （使变宽、扩大）于14世纪末进入英语，先是用来表示“详述、铺叙、铺陈”，常用搭配 dilate on/upon sth 作正式用语使用，侧重指长时间详尽地就某一主题进行谈论或写作，比如通过详述每个小细节来扩大该主题的广度或深度。比如：
- 详述最近时期国家取得的种种成就
dilate on the nation's recent achievements
然后到了15世纪后， dilate 开始用来表示现在的主要含义指“（使）扩大、扩张、膨胀”，侧重指扩大事物的直径，因而常用来形容圆形物体非球形物体的扩张或膨胀。比如：
- 她吓得瞪大了眼睛。
Her eyes dilated with fear. - 到了晚上，瞳孔就会扩大以接收更多光线。
At night, the pupils dilate to allow in more light.
名著用例
"A little break," said Voldemort, the slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement, "a little pause... That hurt, didn't it, Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"
“暂停，”伏地魔说，两条细缝一样的鼻孔兴奋地张大了，“休息一会儿……很疼吧，哈利？你不希望我再来一次，是不是？”
出自英国作家J·K·罗琳的奇幻小说《哈利·波特》系列的第四本《哈利·波特与火焰杯》（Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire）。
同近义词
- amplify: make (something) more marked or intense
- inflate: fill (a balloon, tyre, or other expandable structure) with air or gas so that it becomes distended
- swell: (especially of a part of the body) become larger or rounder in size, typically as a result of an accumulation of fluid
