Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A formal and authoritative speech; an address.
  • noun Law A statement that is made by a defendant before a sentence is pronounced.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A speaking to; an address, especially a formal address. Also written adlocution.
  • noun Specifically— In Roman antiquity, a formal address by a general-in-chief or imperator to his soldiers. Such scenes were often represented in art on medals and reliefs, In the Roman Catholic Church, a public address by the pope to his clergy, or to the church generally.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act or manner of speaking to, or of addressing in words.
  • noun An address; a hortatory or authoritative address as of a pope to his clergy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A formal speech, especially one which is regarded as authoritative and forceful.
  • noun law The question put to a convicted defendant by a judge after the rendering of the verdict in a trial, in which the defendant is asked whether he or she wishes to make a statement to the court before sentencing; the statement made by a defendant in response to such a question; the legal right of a defendant to make such a statement.
  • noun law The legal right of a victim, in some jurisdictions, to make a statement to a court prior to sentencing of a defendant convicted of a crime causing injury to that victim; the actual statement made to a court by a victim.
  • noun Roman Catholicism A pronouncement by a pope to an assembly of church officials concerning a matter of church policy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (rhetoric) a formal or authoritative address that advises or exhorts

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin allocūtiō, allocūtiōn-, from allocūtus, past participle of alloquī, to speak to : ad-, ad- + loquī, to speak; see tolkw- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin allocūtiō ("address")

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Examples

  • And the defendant then tells the judge that he did, in fact, do as the indictment alleges with respect to all of the elements, then, yes, the allocution is a greater indication than a mere, “Well, I believe the State could prove itscase.”

    The Volokh Conspiracy » An End to DNA Test Waivers? 2009

  • And the defendant then tells the judge that he did, in fact, do as the indictment alleges with respect to all of the elements, then, yes, the allocution is a greater indication than a mere, “Well, I believe the State could prove its case.”

    The Volokh Conspiracy » An End to DNA Test Waivers? 2009

  • This is called the allocution as they say in "Law and Order."

    What Happens If Craig Resigns? 2009

  • The whole point of what's called the allocution, when the judge asks the defendant questions about pleading guilty, is to establish that the defendant really wants to plead guilty.

    CNN Transcript Aug 28, 2007 2007

  • However there's this old tradition called allocution of a judge, when he denounces someone who is a culprit, and he advises that person of their wrongdoing and what a proper opinion of that individual ought to be.

    CNN Transcript - Larry King Live: TV Judges Take Their Stands - January 18, 2000 2000

  • The process of judicial interrogation of the defendant and the defendants response is usually called an "allocution", and these are statements of fact made by the defendant.

    What Happens If Craig Resigns? 2009

  • In normal courts, this process is known as "allocution" and even in these fundamentally flawed commissions, it is hard to imagine any judge accepting guilty pleas in capital cases without undertaking this second stage with rigor and care.

    Anthony D. Romero: An Insider's View Of Gitmo This Week 2009

  • During his "allocution" at his sentencing hearing in October 2000, he revealed his personal knowledge of Iran's early ties to his boss, Osama bin Laden.

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 2008

  • The judge said his statement to the court, called "allocution" in the federal system, was the most eloquent he had heard.

    CITIZEN-TIMES.com - News 2008

  • The Veni Creator is sung, an address is delivered by the Father Custos of the Holy Land, the Pope holds an allocution, and the Regina Coeli is sung:

    Pope's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Jerusalem 2009

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