elocution
Americannoun
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a person's manner of speaking or reading aloud in public.
The actor's elocution is faultless.
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the study and practice of oral delivery, including the control of both voice and gesture.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of elocution
1500–10; < Latin ēlocūtiōn- (stem of ēlocūtiō ) a speaking out, equivalent to ē- e- 1 + locūtiōn- locution
Explanation
If you're particularly good at elocution, or speaking clearly and expressively, you may have a successful career in radio ahead of you. Elocution is the skill of pronouncing your words correctly. There are even elocution coaches for actors, singers, or anyone else who wants to improve theirs. Elocution sometimes describes a particular style of speaking, like an announcer's elocution that sounds like he's from the Bronx. The Latin elocutionem is its root, meaning "manner of expression;" in Classical Latin it meant public speaking or oratory.
Vocabulary lists containing elocution
The Great Gatsby
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Pygmalion
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Save Me a Seat
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Bentley Elocution Prize requires students to recite a poem and was once won by Michael Palin.
From BBC • Sep. 17, 2022
Pope and her colleagues speak at a clip suggesting years of study at the West Wing School of Elocution and Composition.
From Slate • Apr. 5, 2012
"If," said Elocution Professor Brigance with pardonable pride, "if there be such a thing as a crown of American oratory, certainly there could be no disputant of Wabash's claim to it."
From Time Magazine Archive
Elocution is no longer a major sport in , U. S. schools, but it is still taught and practiced.
From Time Magazine Archive
Upon graduation from the Academy of Elocution, Minnie moved to Denver, where she tried to establish her own theatrical company, and in the process lost $15,000.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
