Detailing

How to spell detailing

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce detailing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does detailing mean?

1. verbListing or describing something completely, item by item.
2. nounThe thorough cleaning and finishing of a vehicle inside and out.
3. nounThe small decorative features or fine workmanship on an object or building.

Detailing in a sentence

• verb

  The report was thorough, detailing every cost in the budget.

• noun

  The garage charges extra for a full detailing before resale.

• noun

  The dress was admired for its delicate beadwork detailing along the hem.

• verb

  She spent the morning detailing the steps of the new procedure.

• noun

  Professional detailing restored the shine to the old paintwork.

• noun

  The carved stone detailing above the doorway dated from the original build.

Where does detailing come from?

Language of origin: French

This word grows from the older noun and verb 'detail', which English took from the French detailler in the 1600s. The French verb meant literally 'to cut into pieces', built from the prefix de- (an intensifier here) and tailler 'to cut', which itself descends from the Late Latin taliare, from talea 'a slender stick or cutting'. The idea of cutting something into small parts shifted naturally into the sense of handling matters piece by piece, item by item, hence 'in detail'. The -ing form simply turns the verb 'detail' into an action noun or present participle. The same tailler root sits behind the everyday word 'tailor', a craftsman who cuts cloth, which is a helpful reminder that the silent-looking 'ai' in detailing carries that 'cutting' ancestry.

How the word is built

• de- (down, completely)
• tail (from Old French taillier: to cut)
• -ing (verb/noun suffix)