speech

speech
[[t]spitʃ[/t]]
n.
1) the faculty or power of speaking; ability to express one's thoughts and emotions by speech sounds
2) the act of speaking
3) something that is spoken; an utterance
4) a form of communication in spoken language, made by a speaker before an audience
5) sbz any single utterance of an actor in the course of a play, film, etc
6) ling. the form of utterance characteristic of a particular people or region; a language or dialect
7) manner of speaking, as of a person
8) ling. a field of study devoted to the theory and practice of oral communication
9) law any public form of expression, as spoken or written language, visual depictions, or expressive actions. Compare freedom of speech
10) archaic rumor
Etymology: bef. 900; ME speche, OE spǣc, var. of sprǣc, der. of sprecan to speak syn: speech, address, oration, harangue are terms for a communication to an audience. speech is the general word, with no implication of kind or length, or whether planned or not. An address is a rather formal, planned speech, appropriate to a particular subject or occasion. An oration is a polished, rhetorical address, given usu. on a notable occasion, that employs eloquence and studied methods of delivery. A harangue is an impassioned, vehement speech intended to arouse strong feeling and sometimes to lead to mob action.

From formal English to slang. 2014.

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  • speech — /speech/, n. 1. the faculty or power of speaking; oral communication; ability to express one s thoughts and emotions by speech sounds and gesture: Losing her speech made her feel isolated from humanity. 2. the act of speaking: He expresses… …   Universalium

  • Speech — refers to the processes associated with the production and perception of sounds used in spoken language. A number of academic disciplines study speech and speech sounds, including acoustics, psychology, speech pathology, linguistics, cognitive… …   Wikipedia

  • speech — [ spitʃ ] n. m. • 1829; mot angl. ♦ Vieilli Petite allocution de circonstance, notamment en réponse à un toast. ⇒ discours; fam. laïus, topo. Il y eut quelques speechs (ou speeches) amusants. « en mourant, tous les hommes célèbres font un dernier …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • speech — W2S2 [spi:tʃ] n [: Old English; Origin: sprAc, spAc] 1.) a talk, especially a formal one about a particular subject, given to a group of people ▪ a campaign speech give/make/deliver a speech ▪ Each child had to give a short speech to the rest of… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • speech — [ spitʃ ] noun *** 1. ) count a formal occasion when someone speaks to an audience: He began his speech by outlining his plans for the coming year. make/give/deliver a speech: The queen made a wonderful speech in reply. a ) the words that someone …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Speech — Speech, n. [OE. speche, AS. sp?c, spr?, fr. specan, sprecan, to speak; akin to D. spraak speech, OHG. spr[=a]hha, G. sprache, Sw. spr?k, Dan. sprog. See {Speak}.] 1. The faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the faculty of expressing… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • speech — speech; speech·ful; speech·ifi·ca·tion; speech·ifi·er; speech·ify; speech·less; speech·less·ly; speech·less·ness; speech·ful·ness; …   English syllables

  • speech — [spēch] n. [ME speche < OE spæc, spræc < base of sprecan, to speak: see SPEAK] 1. the act of speaking; expression or communication of thoughts and feelings by spoken words 2. the power or ability to speak 3. the manner of speaking [her… …   English World dictionary

  • speech — n: words or conduct used to communicate or express a thought: expression see also commercial speech, freedom of speech, free speech …   Law dictionary

  • speech — 1 *language, tongue, dialect, idiom 2 Speech, address, oration, harangue, lecture, talk, sermon, homily designate a discourse delivered to an audience. Speech can apply to a public discourse irrespective of its quality or its degree of… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Speech — 〈[ spi:tʃ] f.; , es〉 Rede, Ansprache [engl., „Sprache, Rede“; zu speak „sprechen“] * * * Speech [spi:t̮ʃ], der; es, e u. es u. die; , e u. es […ɪs] [engl. speech] (selten): Rede, Ansprache: einen kleinen/eine kleine S. halten. * * * Speech… …   Universal-Lexikon

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