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enunciate

[ih-nuhn-see-eyt]
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verb (used with object), e·nun·ci·at·ed, e·nun·ci·at·ing.
  1. to utter or pronounce (words, sentences, etc.), especially in an articulate or a particular manner: He enunciates his words distinctly.
  2. to state or declare definitely, as a theory.
  3. to announce or proclaim: to enunciate one's intentions.
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verb (used without object), e·nun·ci·at·ed, e·nun·ci·at·ing.
  1. to pronounce words, especially in an articulate or a particular manner.
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Origin of enunciate

1615–25; < Latin ēnūntiātus (past participle of ēnūntiāre), equivalent to ē- e-1 + nūnti(us) messenger, message + -ātus -ate1
Related formse·nun·ci·a·ble, adjectivee·nun·ci·a·bil·i·ty, noune·nun·ci·a·tive, e·nun·ci·a·to·ry, adjectivee·nun·ci·a·tive·ly, adverbe·nun·ci·a·tor, nounnon·e·nun·ci·a·tive, adjectivenon·e·nun·ci·a·to·ry, adjectivere·e·nun·ci·ate, verb, re·e·nun·ci·at·ed, re·e·nun·ci·at·ing.un·e·nun·ci·a·ble, adjectiveun·e·nun·ci·at·ed, adjectiveun·e·nun·ci·a·tive, adjective
Can be confusedannounce enunciate pronounce (see synonym study at announce)annunciate enunciate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

outlineaffirmarticulateintonepropounduttersoundexpressdevelopshowdelivervocalizepronouncestatesubmitproclaimsaypromulgateannouncepostulate

Examples from the Web for enunciate

Historical Examples

  • We enunciate a principle of government, and then deny it in practise.

    Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence

    Various

  • “Say it again and over you go,” the mate managed to enunciate thickly.

  • It is needless to enunciate the weight of the earth in our ordinary units.

    The Story of the Heavens

    Robert Stawell Ball

  • He is content to enunciate a truth, and to call it probable.

  • We enunciate a principle of government, and then deny its practice.

    Shadow and Light

    Mifflin Wistar Gibbs

British Dictionary definitions for enunciate

enunciate

verb
  1. to articulate or pronounce (words), esp clearly and distinctly
  2. (tr) to state precisely or formally
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Derived Formsenunciation, nounenunciative or enunciatory, adjectiveenunciatively, adverbenunciator, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Latin ēnuntiāre to declare, from nuntiāre to announce, from nuntius messenger
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

Word Origin and History for enunciate

v.

1620s, "declare, express," from Latin enuntiatus, past participle of enuntiare "speak out, say, express, assert; divulge, disclose, reveal, betray," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + nuntiare "to announce" (see nuncio). Or perhaps a back-formation from enunciation. Meaning "to articulate, pronounce" is from 1759. Related: Enunciated; enunciating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper