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speech

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Speech

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈspiːt͡ʃ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːtʃ

Noun

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

speech (countable and uncountable, plural speeches)

  1. (uncountable) The ability to speak; the faculty of uttering words or articulate sounds and vocalizations to communicate.
    He had a bad speech impediment.
    After the accident she lost her speech.
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill. It was ugly, gross. Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech. In the present connexion […] such talk had been distressingly out of place.
    • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “XV AND XVIII”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
      I was at liberty to attend to Wilbert, who I could see desired speech with me. […] As far as Bobbie and I were concerned, silence reigned, this novel twist in the scenario having wiped speech from our lips, as the expression is, but Phyllis continued vocal. […] For perhaps a quarter of a minute after he had passed from the scene the aged relative stood struggling for utterance. At the end of this period she found speech. “Of all the damn silly fatheaded things!”
  2. (uncountable) The act of speaking, a certain style of it.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:speech
    It was hard to hear his speech over the noise.
    Her speech was soft and lilting.
    • 2014 April 21, “Subtle effects”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8884:
      Manganism has been known about since the 19th century, when miners exposed to ores containing manganese, a silvery metal, began to totter, slur their speech and behave like someone inebriated.
  4. (countable) A formal session of speaking, especially a long oral message given publicly by one person.
    Synonyms: address, allocution, monologue, oration, soliloquy
    The candidate made some ambitious promises in his campaign speech.
    • 1720, Jonathan Swift, A Letter to a Young Clergyman:
      The constant design of both these orators, in all their speeches, was to drive some one particular point.
    • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “I AND XII”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
      He's going to present the prizes at Market Snodsbury Grammar School. We've been caught short as usual, and somebody has got to make a speech on ideals and the great world outside to those blasted boys, so he fits in nicely. I believe he's a very fine speaker. His only trouble is that he's stymied unless he has his speech with him and can read it. Calls it referring to his notes. […] “So that's why he's been going about looking like a dead fish. I suppose Roberta broke the engagement?” “In a speech lasting five minutes without a pause for breath.”
  5. (countable) A dialect, vernacular, or (dated) a language.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:language
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 3:6:
      For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel.
    • 1542, Andrew Boorde, The Fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge:
      The speche of Englande is a base speche to other noble speches, as Italion, Castylion, and Frenche; howbeit the speche of Englande of late dayes is amended.
  6. (uncountable) Language used orally, rather than in writing.
    This word is mostly used in speech.
  7. (grammar) An utterance that is quoted; see direct speech, reported speech
  8. (uncountable) Public talk, news, gossip, rumour.

Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Translations to be checked

Verb

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speech (third-person singular simple present speeches, present participle speeching, simple past and past participle speeched)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To make a speech; to harangue.
    • 1711 [December?] (date written), Jonathan Swift, “An Excellent New Song. Being the Intended Speech of a Famous Orator against Peace [i.e., Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham].”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume VII, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 73:
      I'll speech against peace while Dismal's my name, / And be a true whig, while I'm Not-in-game.
    • 1731, The Statesman: A New Court Ballad, page 7:
      So to Speeching he did go, / And like a Man of Senſe, / He certainly ſaid Ay or No,
    • 1965 June, “Wales, Land of Bards”, in National Geographic, volume 127, number 6:
      "He wasn't one to make himself big," said Mr. Jones. "But he had something that drew the people when he was speeching... When he came down we all used to shout 'Lloyd George am byth!' You know, 'Lloyd George forever!' That was just how we felt."

Derived terms

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Anagrams

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English speech.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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speech m (plural speechen or speeches, diminutive speechje n)

  1. speech, oration (oral monologic address of some length)
    redevoering (“toespraak”)

Derived terms

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Anagrams

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French

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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speech m (plural speechs)

  1. an informal speech
    Synonym: allocution

Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English speech.

Noun

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speech n (plural speech-uri)

  1. speech

Declension

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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative speech speechul speech-uri speech-urile
genitive-dative speech speechului speech-uri speech-urilor
vocative speechule speech-urilor
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