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

1. Relating to or involving the mouth.

Usage

See verbal.

Other Word Forms

• orally adverb
• orality noun
• nonoral adjective
• postoral adjective
• suboral adjective
• unoral 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

J&J is already working with Protagonist to develop an oral treatment for immune diseases including plaque psoriasis and ulcerative colitis and has the exclusive rights to commercialize the product.

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Missy drove Berard to the team dentist in White Plains, who referred them to the oral surgeon.

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There are oral history accounts of inhumane punishment of parents who taught their children indigenous languages, he said.

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That is the makings of a bad habit—a fast-track to chewing tobacco, which is directly linked to oral squamous cell carcinoma, a horrible disease.

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If someone experienced a clot without surgery, and was on oral contraceptives, testing may be recommended.

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