The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Detail \De"tail\ (d[=e]"t[=a]l or d[-e]*t[=a]l"; 277), n. [F.
   d['e]tail, fr. d['e]tailler to cut in pieces, tell in detail;
   pref. d['e]- (L. de or dis-) + tailler to cut. See Tailor.]
   1. A minute portion; one of the small parts; a particular; an
      item; -- used chiefly in the plural; as, the details of a
      scheme or transaction.
      [1913 Webster]

            The details of the campaign in Italy. --Motley.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A narrative which relates minute points; an account which
      dwells on particulars.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Mil.) The selection for a particular service of a person
      or a body of men; hence, the person or the body of men so
      selected.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Arch. & Mach.)
      (a) A minor part, as, in a building, the cornice, caps of
          the buttresses, capitals of the columns, etc., or
          (called larger details) a porch, a gable with its
          windows, a pavilion, or an attached tower.
      (b) A detail drawing.

   Detail drawing, a drawing of the full size, or on a large
      scale, of some part of a building, machine, etc.

   In detail, in subdivisions; part by part; item by item;
      circumstantially; with particularity.

   Syn: Account; relation; narrative; recital; explanation;
        narration.
        [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Detail \De"tail\ (d[-e]*t[=a]l"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   Detailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Detailing.] [Cf. F.
   d['e]tailler to cut up in pieces, tell in detail. See
   Detail, n.]
   1. To relate in particulars; to particularize; to report
      minutely and distinctly; to enumerate; to specify; as, he
      detailed all the facts in due order.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Mil.) To tell off or appoint for a particular service, as
      an officer, a troop, or a squadron.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To provide with fine or intricate added decoration.
      [PJC]

   Syn: Detail, Detach.

   Usage: Detail respects the act of individualizing the person
          or body that is separated; detach, the removing for
          the given end or object.
          [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

detail
    n 1: an isolated fact that is considered separately from the
         whole; "several of the details are similar"; "a point of
         information" [syn: detail, item, point]
    2: a small part that can be considered separately from the
       whole; "it was perfect in all details" [syn: detail,
       particular, item]
    3: extended treatment of particulars; "the essay contained too
       much detail"
    4: a crew of workers selected for a particular task; "a detail
       was sent to remove the fallen trees"
    5: a temporary military unit; "the peacekeeping force includes
       one British contingent" [syn: contingent, detail]
    v 1: provide details for
    2: assign to a specific task; "The ambulances were detailed to
       the fire station"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

325 Moby Thesaurus words for "detail":
   KP, accredit, accuracy, add up, adduce, adjunct, age group,
   allocate, allot, amplify, anatomize, appoint, appropriate to,
   appurtenance, army, army group, article, aspect, assign, assign to,
   atomize, attention to detail, authorize, background,
   background detail, band, battalion, battery, battle group, bevy,
   block out, body, brigade, bunch, cabal, cadre, case, cast, cast up,
   catalogue, charge, charter, cipher up, circumstance,
   circumstantiality, circumstantiate, cite, clique, cohort, column,
   combat command, combat team, commission, commit, company,
   complement, complete, component, comprehensively,
   conscientiousness, consign, constituent, contents, contingent,
   corps, correctness, coterie, count, count up, covey, crew,
   criticality, criticalness, cross section, crowd, datum,
   decorative composition, decorative style, delegate, delicacy,
   delineate, depute, deputize, descant, descend to particulars,
   design, destine, detach, detachment, details, develop, devolute,
   devolve, devolve upon, dilate, division, document, dole, duty,
   earmark, elaborate, element, empower, enlarge, enlarge upon,
   enter into detail, entrust, enumerate, evolve, exactingness,
   exactitude, exactness, exhaustively, expand, expatiate, explicate,
   exquisiteness, facet, fact, faction, factor, fate, fatigue,
   feature, field army, field train, figure, figure up, file,
   finicality, finicalness, finickiness, finickingness, fixings,
   fleet, flying column, foil, foot up, foreground detail, form,
   fraction, fussiness, gang, garrison, give full particulars,
   give in charge, go into, group, grouping, groupment, in detail,
   in-group, incidental, individualize, ingredient, inside out,
   installment, instance, integrant, inventory, item, item by item,
   itemize, junta, kitchen police, labor, legion, license, list, lot,
   make assignments, makings, maniple, mark off, mark out for, matter,
   meticulousness, minor detail, minuteness, minutia, minutiae,
   mission, mob, motif, movement, name, national style, niceness,
   niceties, nicety, number, ordain, organization, ornamental motif,
   out-group, outfit, outline, pack, parcel, parse, part,
   part and parcel, particular, particularity, particularize,
   particularly, particularness, particulars, party, pattern,
   peculiarize, peer group, percentage, perfectly, period style,
   personalize, phalanx, platoon, point, portion, portion off, posse,
   post, precise, preciseness, precisianism, precision,
   punctiliousness, punctuality, quadrant, quarter, quota,
   random sample, rank, recap, recapitulate, recite, reckon up,
   recount, refinement, regard, regiment, rehearse,
   rehearse in extenso, relate, relate at large, remainder,
   repeated figure, reserve, resolve, respect, restrict, restrict to,
   rigidness, rigor, rigorousness, salon, sample, sampling, scan,
   schedule, schematize, score up, scrupulosity, scrupulousness,
   section, sector, segment, send, send out, set, set apart,
   set aside, set off, setting, share, specialize, specialty,
   specific, specifically, specifics, specify, spell out, squad,
   squadron, stable, stipulate, strictness, string, style,
   subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, substantiate, subtlety, sum,
   sum up, summarize, summate, tabulate, tactical unit, tag, tally up,
   task force, team, technicalities, technicality, theme, thing,
   thoroughly, tot up, total, total up, tote up, touch, train,
   transfer, tribe, troop, troupe, unfold, unit, warrant, wing,
   work out