oral

[ awr-uhl ]

adjective

1. uttered by the mouth; spoken:

   oral testimony.

2. of, using, or transmitted by speech:

   oral methods of language teaching; oral traditions.

3. of, relating to, or involving the mouth:

   the oral cavity.

4. done, taken, or administered through the mouth:

   an oral dose of medicine.

5. Phonetics. articulated with none of the voice issuing through the nose, as the normal English vowels and the consonants b and v.
6. Psychoanalysis.
   1. of or relating to the earliest phase of infantile psychosexual development, lasting from birth to one year of age or longer, during which pleasure is obtained from eating, sucking, and biting.
   2. of or relating to the sublimation of feelings experienced during the oral stage of childhood:

      oral anxiety.

   3. of or relating to gratification by stimulation of the lips or membranes of the mouth, as in sucking, eating, or talking
7. Zoology. pertaining to that surface of polyps and marine animals that contains the mouth and tentacles.

noun

1. an oral examination in a school, college, or university, given especially to a candidate for an advanced degree.

oral

/ ˈɒrəl; ˈɔːrəl /

adjective

1. spoken or verbal

   an oral agreement

2. relating to, affecting, or for use in the mouth

   an oral thermometer

3. of or relating to the surface of an animal, such as a jellyfish, on which the mouth is situated
4. denoting a drug to be taken by mouth Compare parenteral

   an oral contraceptive

5. of, relating to, or using spoken words
6. phonetics pronounced with the soft palate in a raised position completely closing the nasal cavity and allowing air to pass out only through the mouth
7. psychoanal
   1. relating to a stage of psychosexual development during which the child's interest is concentrated on the mouth
   2. denoting personality traits, such as dependence, selfishness, and aggression, resulting from fixation at the oral stage Compare anal genital phallic

noun

1. an examination in which the questions and answers are spoken rather than written

oral

/ ôr′əl /

1. Relating to or involving the mouth.

Usage Note

See verbal.

Derived Forms

• ˈorally, adverb

Other Words From

• o·ral·i·ty noun
• o·ral·ly adverb
• non·o·ral adjective
• post·o·ral adjective
• sub·o·ral adjective
• un·o·ral adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oral¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin ōr- (stem of ōs ) “mouth” (cognate with Sanskrit āsya ) + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of oral¹

C17: from Late Latin orālis, from Latin ōs face

Example Sentences

The study -- published in the open access journal BMJ Mental Health -- is the first to look at the association between the type and number of microorganisms in the mouth and throat, also known as the oral microbiome, and maternal mental health.

From Science Daily

The results showed the oral microbiome varied based on whether women had reported symptoms of life stress, anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, also called PTSD, during the assessments.

From Science Daily

Oral microbiomes of women with high anxiety or depression symptoms showed a high alpha diversity, which means they included many types of microbe species present at relatively even levels.

From Science Daily

The researchers said that their findings suggest that the oral microbiome could be a potential target for interventions to improve poor psychological well-being during pregnancy.

From Science Daily

"Successful targeting of the gut microbiome with probiotic treatment to improve maternal mental health could be extended in future studies to target oral cavity microbes through dietary changes, making recommendations for improving oral health, and probiotic treatments that might benefit mothers struggling with high life stress and poor mental health," the team of researchers said.

From Science Daily