speech

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

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.

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia speech (countable and uncountable; plural speeches)

  1. (uncountable) The faculty of speech; the ability to speak or to use vocalizations to communicate.
    It was hard to hear the sounds of his speech over the noise.
    He had a bad speech' impediment.
    • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XV and XVIII:
      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. (countable) A session of speaking; a long oral message given publicly usually by one person.
    The candidate made some ambitious promises in his campaign speech.
    • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter I and XII:
      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.”

[edit] Derived terms

Terms derived from speech

[edit] Related terms

[edit] Translations

vocal communication
an oration, session of speaking
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Translations to be checked

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Anagrams

[edit] Dutch

[edit] Noun

speech m. (plural speeches or speechen, ??? please provide the diminutive!)

  1. speech

[edit] Anagrams

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