harangue

WOTD - 10 October 2006    

English

Etymology

From Middle English arang and French harangue, from Old Italian aringa (modern Italian arringa) from aringare (“speak in public”) (modern Italian arringare), from aringo (“public assembly”), from Gothic *𐌷𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 (hriggs), akin to Old High German hring (“ring”) (whence German Ring).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /həˈræŋ/, /həˈreɪŋ/, SAMPA: /h@"r{N/ (US)
• Rhymes: -æŋ

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ha‧rangue

Noun

harangue (plural harangues)

1. An impassioned, disputatious public speech.
2. A tirade or rant, whether spoken or written.

   She gave her son a harangue about the dangers of playing in the street.

   The priest took thirty minutes to deliver his harangue on timeliness, making the entire service run late.

   • 1895, Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage, Ch X:

     But he continued his harangue without waiting for a reply.

Synonyms

• (tirade or rant): admonition, condemnation, criticism, diatribe, rant, tirade

Translations

impassioned speech

Armenian: ճառ (hy) (č̣aṙ) Finnish: palopuhe (fi) Greek: φιλιππικός (el)

Manx: ard-loayrtys (gv) m. Russian: страстное обращение n. Spanish: arenga (es) f.

tirade

Finnish: vuodatus (fi), saarna (fi) French: sermon (fr) German: Moralpredigt (de), Tirade (de) f.

Greek: αναβαλλόμενος (el), εξάψαλμος (el) Manx: ard-loayrtys (gv) m. Spanish: sermón (es) m.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: xurrîn, lêheytandin

Verb

harangue (third-person singular simple present harangues, present participle haranguing, simple past and past participle harangued)

1. (transitive) To give a forceful and lengthy lecture or criticism to someone.

   The angry motorist leapt from his car to harangue the other driver.

   • 1814, Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, Ch XV:

     This picture of her consequence had some effect, for no one loved better to lead than Maria; and with far more good-humour she answered, "I am much obliged to you, Edmund; you mean very well, I am sure: but I still think you see things too strongly; and I really cannot undertake to harangue all the rest upon a subject of this kind. There would be the greatest indecorum, I think."

Synonyms

• admonish, berate, lecture

Related terms

• haranguer

Translations

to give a forceful lecture

Finnish: saarnata (fi), paasata (fi) French: sermonner (fr) Greek: Ancient: ἐπιδημηγορέω (grc) Modern: κατσαδιάζω, εξαπολύω φιλιππικό (phr.), ψέλνω τον αναβαλλόμενο (phr.), ρίχνω εξάψαλμο (phr.)

to address the public

Greek: Ancient: ἀγορεύω (grc) Modern: δημηγορώ (el)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: xurrîn, lêheytandin