elocution

[ el-uh-kyoo-shuh n ]

/ ˌɛl əˈkyu ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elocution ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person's manner of speaking or reading aloud in public: The actor's elocution is faultless.

the study and practice of oral delivery, including the control of both voice and gesture.

RELATED WORDS

eloquent, rhetorical, stylistic

Nearby words

elmhurst, elmira, elmont, elmwood park, elocute, elocution, elodea, elohim, elohism, elohist, eloign

Origin of elocution

1500–10; < Latin ēlocūtiōn- (stem of ēlocūtiō) a speaking out, equivalent to ē- e-¹ + locūtiōn- locution

Related forms

el·o·cu·tion·ar·y

[el-uh-kyoo-shuh-ner-ee] /ˌɛl əˈkyu ʃəˌnɛr i/, adjectiveel·o·cu·tion·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for elocutionary

A deep silence ensues, and the poor child, whose debut in the elocutionary art it is, suddenly loses countenance.
Monsieur, Madame and Bebe, Complete|Gustave Droz
This elocutionary power was not gained without much care and diligent labor.
Lives of Illustrious Shoemakers|William Edward Winks
They evidently considered the prayer merely as an elocutionary show-piece.
Mark Rutherford's Deliverance|Mark Rutherford
To appreciate the significance of elocutionary art, we have but to consider that all poetry and rhetoric need interpretation.
The Collector|Henry T. Tuckerman

Mr. Neidlinger builds his songs upon one393 guiding principle, that is, faithfulness to elocutionary accent and intonation.
Contemporary American Composers|Rupert Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for elocutionary

elocution

/ (ˌɛləˈkjuːʃən) /

noun

the art of public speaking, esp of voice production, delivery, and gesture

Derived Forms

elocutionary, adjectiveelocutionist, noun

Word Origin for elocution

C15: from Latin ēlocūtiō a speaking out, from ēloquī, from loquī to speak

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012