speak
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also -speak
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English speken (“to speak”), from Old English specan (“to speak”), alteration of earlier sprecan (“to speak”), from Proto-Germanic *sprekanan (“to speak, make a sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *spreg- (“to make a sound, utter, speak”). Cognate with Dutch spreken (“to speak”), German sprechen (“to speak”), Albanian shpreh (“to utter, voice, express”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Verb
speak (third-person singular simple present speaks or (archaic) speaketh, present participle speaking, simple past spoke or (archaic) spake, past participle spoken)
- (intransitive) To communicate with one's voice, to say words out loud.
- I was so surprised I couldn't speak.
- You're speaking too fast.
- (intransitive) To have a conversation.
- It's been ages since we've spoken.
- (by extension) To communicate or converse by some means other than orally, such as writing or facial expressions.
- He spoke of it in his diary
- Speak to me only with your eyes.
- I just spoke with them on IRC.
- Actions speak louder than words.
- (intransitive) To deliver a message to a group; to deliver a speech.
- This evening I shall speak on the topic of correct English usage.
- (transitive) To be able to communicate in a language.
- He speaks Mandarin fluently.
- (transitive) To utter.
- I was so surprised that I couldn't speak a word.
- 1611, Authorized King James Version (Bible translation), Jeremiah 9:5:
- And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
- (transitive) To communicate (some fact or feeling); to bespeak, to indicate.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:
- There he sat, his very indifference speaking a nature in which there lurked no civilized hypocrisies and bland deceits.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:
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[edit] Derived terms
Terms derived from speak
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phrasal verbs idioms |
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
to communicate with one's voice
[edit] Noun
speak (uncountable)
- language, jargon, or terminology used uniquely in a particular environment or group.
- Corporate speak; IT speak
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
[edit] Noun
speak (plural speaks)
