délaborer

Délaborer is a French verb meaning to elaborate in detail or to develop something more fully, such as a plan, argument, text, or process. It is a transitive verb and is used to describe the action of adding precision, structure, and detailed elements to a preliminary draft or idea.

Origin and nuance: the verb is formed from élaborer with the prefix dé-, and it appears in formal and technical registers. Its sense emphasizes moving beyond a rough outline toward a careful, thorough treatment. In many contexts délaborer implies producing a complete, detailed version rather than a simple outline.

Conjugation and usage: délaborer follows the regular -er verb conjugation. Present indicative forms include je délabore, tu délabores, il délabore, nous délaborons, vous délaborez, ils délaborent. The passé composé is formed with avoir: j'ai délaboré. The future simple is je délaborerai, and the imperfect is je délaborais. The subjunctive present appears as que je délabor e, que nous délaborions, que vous délaboriez, que ils délaborent.

Common usage and examples: délaborer is used with nouns such as plan, texte, étude, méthodologie, budget, or argumentation. Examples include délaborer un plan de travail, délaborer un texte en détail, or délaborer une méthodologie de recherche. Synonyms include approfondir, développer en détail, raffiner, préciser. It is distinct from élaborer in that délaborer carries a stronger sense of thorough detail and finalization, often within professional, academic, or technical writing.