Definitions

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

  • noun The faculty or act of speaking.
  • noun The faculty or act of expressing or describing thoughts, feelings, or perceptions by the articulation of words.
  • noun What is spoken or expressed, as in conversation; uttered or written words.
  • noun A talk or public address, or a written copy of this.
  • noun The language or dialect of a nation or region.
  • noun One's manner or style of speaking.
  • noun The study of oral communication, speech sounds, and vocal physiology.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words, as in human beings and, by imitation, in some birds; capacity for expressing thoughts by words or articulate sounds; the power of speaking, or of uttering words either in the speaking-or the singing-voice.
  • noun The action or exercise of speaking; expression of thoughts or ideas with the speaking-voice; oral utterance or communication; also, an act or exercise of oral expression or communication; talk; conversation; discourse: as, a person's habit of speech; to be chary of speech; their speech was all about themselves.
  • noun The words and grammatical forms in which thought is expressed; language; a language.
  • noun That which is spoken; thoughts as uttered or written; a saying or remark; especially, a more or less formal address or other utterance; an oration; a harangue: as, a cutting speech in conversation; the speeches in a dialogue or a drama; to deliver a speech; a volume of speeches.
  • noun A speaking or talking of something; uttered opinion, intention, etc.; oral or verbal mention; report.
  • noun An occasion of speaking; course of speaking; oral communication; colloquy; conference; parlance: as, to get speech of or with a person.
  • noun Manner of speaking; form or quality of that which is spoken or of spoken sounds; method of utterance, either habitual or occasional: as, his speech betrays his nationality; rapid speech; thick or harsh speech.
  • noun The utterance or sounding of a musical instrument, especially of a pipe in a pipe-organ.
  • noun In a wheel, the hub with the spokes, but without the fellies and tire.
  • noun Synonyms Speech, Address, Harangue, Oration. Speech is generic, and applies to any form of words uttered; it is the thing spoken, without reference to its quality or the manner of speaking it. An address is a speech viewed as spoken to one or more persons, and is generally of the better sort: as, Paul's speech on Mars' Hill; his address before Felix. A harangue is a noisy speech, usually unstudied and unpolished, addressed to a large audience and in a violent manner. An oration is a formal, impressive, studied, and elaborately polished address: as, Webster was selected to deliver the oration when the corner-stone of the Bunker Hill monument was laid, and again when the monument was completed. See sermon and language.
  • To make a speech; harangue.

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

  • verb rare To make a speech; to harangue.
  • noun The faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the faculty of expressing thoughts by words or articulate sounds; the power of speaking.
  • noun he act of speaking; that which is spoken; words, as expressing ideas; language; conversation.
  • noun A particular language, as distinct from others; a tongue; a dialect.
  • noun Talk; mention; common saying.
  • noun formal discourse in public; oration; harangue.
  • noun ny declaration of thoughts.

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

  • noun uncountable The faculty of speech; the ability to speak or to use vocalizations to communicate.
  • noun countable A session of speaking; a long oral message given publicly usually by one person.

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

  • noun words making up the dialogue of a play
  • noun a lengthy rebuke
  • noun (language) communication by word of mouth
  • noun the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
  • noun your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally
  • noun the exchange of spoken words
  • noun the mental faculty or power of vocal communication
  • noun something spoken

Etymologies

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

[Middle English speche, from Old English sprǣc, spǣc.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English speche, from Old English spǣċ, sprǣċ ("speech, discourse, language"), from Proto-Germanic *sprēkijō (“speech”), from Proto-Indo-European *spereg-, *spreg- (“to make a sound”). Cognate with Dutch spraak ("speech"), German Sprache ("language, speech"), Danish sprog ("language"). More at speak.

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Examples

  • At issue is whether or not the FEC went too far in interpreting the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act when it ruled Hillary: The Movie to be campaign speech, advocacy about a particular candidate, instead of the allowed political speech, advocacy on a topic, thus limiting the \ "freedom of speech\" of corporations.

    Stephen Herrington: Am I Free to Speak? 2009

  • At issue is whether or not the FEC went too far in interpreting the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act when it ruled Hillary: The Movie to be campaign speech, advocacy about a particular candidate, instead of the allowed political speech, advocacy on a topic, thus limiting the \ "freedom of speech\" of corporations.

    Stephen Herrington: Am I Free to Speak? 2009

  • Within speech acts, Austin distinguished among locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary levels, but speech act theory has been devoted almost exclusively to the illocutionary level, so that ˜speech act™ and ˜illocutionary act™ are in practice synonymous terms.

    Pragmatics Korta, Kepa 2006

  • The very simplest element of speech—and by “speech” we shall henceforth mean the auditory system of speech symbolism, the flow of spoken words—is the individual sound, though, as we shall see later on, the sound is not itself a simple structure but the resultant of a series of independent, yet closely correlated, adjustments in the organs of speech.

    Chapter 2. The Elements of Speech 1921

  • However, a speech sound localized in the brain, even when associated with the particular movements of the “speech organs” that are required to produce it, is very far from being an element of language.

    Chapter 1. Introductory: Language Defined 1921

  • Children who are taught that certain speech is not allowed, learn that certain speech is not allowed.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Pro-Life Speech “Upsetting” and “Not OK” for the Duke University Women’s Center 2010

  • Tommy's face was white, and he sought refuge in speech from the silence which settled down.

    CHAPTER 24 2010

  • Strait points out that scientists already know that emotion in speech is carried less by the specific meanings of the words being used than by the sound of those words.

    Musicians really ARE more sensitive ewillett 2009

  • Strait points out that scientists already know that emotion in speech is carried less by the specific meanings of the words being used than by the sound of those words.

    Musicians really ARE more sensitive ewillett 2009

  • Not because I agreed with it, but because I am deeply concerned that the effort to label certain speech "hate speech" is part of a general campaign to limit first amendment rights.

    Coyote Blog » 2005 » July 2005

Comments

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  • Interesting site--although those animated eyes are creepy.

    April 28, 2009

  • There's a problem with your link, Rt.

    April 28, 2009

  • Speech defect.

    April 28, 2009

  • Seems like it should be this site.

    April 28, 2009

  • John's a slack bastard

    *just repeating the error message*

    *hides under porch*

    April 28, 2009

  • Oops! Sorry all--should be okay now. Thanks for reposting, bilby.

    April 29, 2009

  • will, want

    July 23, 2009

  • what is the difference between a speech and a presentation?

    August 17, 2011

  • Powerpoint and teacakes.

    August 17, 2011

  • *picturing teacakes* yum, we get dry bagels :(

    August 17, 2011