# detail

Pronunciation: say "DEE-tayl" US /ˈditeɪl/, UK /ˈdiːteɪl/

## Noun

1. A single fact, feature, or item, especially a small one, considered on its own as part of a larger whole.
   - Simple: One small fact or part of something, often one that people might not notice.
   - _Every detail of the plan mattered to the committee._
   - _He examined one detail at a time before drawing any conclusion._
3. Small parts or fine points taken all together rather than one by one, the kind that only someone looking closely will notice.
   - Simple: The small parts of something that people often fail to notice.
   - _Photographers love this camera for the fine detail it records._
   - _The miniature ship is built with astonishing detail throughout._
4. The telling or treatment of something point by point, dwelling on its particular facts and features.
   - Simple: The way of telling or explaining something point by point, including all the small facts.
   - _The memoir relates each meeting in painstaking detail._
   - _Her diary records the voyage in remarkable detail._
5. A piece of someone's personal information, such as their name, address, or contact information.
   - Simple: A piece of personal information, like a name, address, or phone number.
   - _The clerk needed one more contact detail, a phone number, to finish the booking._
   - _Please confirm your bank details before the payment goes through._
7. A temporary unit of personnel, or the short-term assignment given to them, in military or law-enforcement settings.
   - Simple: A small group given a short job, or the job itself, in the army or police.
   - _A detail was sent ahead to secure the building before the visit._
   - _He drew guard detail on his first night at the base._
8. A point regarded as too small or trivial to be worth any attention.
   - Simple: A small point that people think is too unimportant to worry about.
   - _The exact wording is a detail; the main idea is what counts._
   - _She waved the objection aside as a minor detail._
10. A selected portion of a painting, often reproduced on its own to show a close-up section.
   - Simple: A small chosen part of a painting, often shown close up on its own.
   - _The gallery hung a detail of the mural at eye level for visitors._
   - _A detail of the portrait revealed cracks invisible in the full view._

## Verb

2. To describe or explain something thoroughly, covering each part or point in turn.
   - Simple: To explain something fully, including all its small parts.
   - _The final report will detail every step the company took to clean up the spill, from the first call to the last inspection._
   - _The proposal details the costs and benefits of each option._
6. To clean something, especially a car, very thoroughly, including hard-to-reach areas and fine surfaces.
   - Simple: To clean something, especially a car, very thoroughly, including small areas that are hard to reach.
   - _Specialists detail vintage cars before each auction._
   - _The crew spent hours detailing the limousine after the wedding._
9. To assign a person or group to carry out a particular task or duty.
   - Simple: To give a person or group a certain job to do.
   - _Supervisors detail extra staff to the busiest stations each morning._
   - _The chief detailed three deputies to patrol the festival grounds._

## Origin

The Old French verb detaillier, made of de- and taillier ("to cut"), produced the noun detail, which English borrowed through Middle French détail.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/detail (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).