Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A trumpet-shaped instrument by which the sound of the human voice is reinforced so that it may be heard at a great distance or above other sounds, as in hailing ships at sea or giving orders at a fire. In the United States navy a speaking-trumpet is the badge of the officer of the deck at sea.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
megaphone .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a trumpet-shaped acoustic device to intensify and direct the human voice; formerly held to the ear by a hard-of-hearing person
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Examples
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chained_bear commented on the word speaking trumpet
"SPEAKING TRUMPET, a trumpet by which the voice may be heard at a great distance. It was formerly used in large armies to give the word of command." (citation in list description)
Edit: In Falconer's New Universal Dictionary of the Marine (1816) is this text: "To speak with a vessel implies that, on the meeting of ships or vessels at sea, one has communication with the other by going on board; but if that should be found impracticable from the state of the weather, the speaking trumpet here using a hyphen is employed by the homeward-bound ship to ask the necessary questions." (p. 491)
October 9, 2008