lucubrate
/ˈluː.kjə.bɹeɪt/ verb
Forms lucubrates lucubrating lucubrated
- verb (rare) To work diligently by artificial light; to study at night.
- verb To work or write like a scholar.
Synonyms
burn the midnight oil elucubrate pull an all-nighter elaborate expatiate exposit enlarge flesh out expand expound dilate
Etymology
First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin lūcubrātus, perfect passive participle of lūcubrō (“to work by candlelight”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from lūx (“light”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To study by candlelight or a lamp; to study by night.
- verb To elaborate, perfect, or compose, by night study or by laborious endeavor.
Etymology [L. lucubratus, p. p. of lucubrare to work by lamplight, fr. lux light. See Light, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lucubrate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details