oration

[aw-rey-shuh n, oh-rey-]

See more synonyms for oration on Thesaurus.com

noun

a formal public speech, especially one delivered on a special occasion, as on an anniversary, at a funeral, or at academic exercises.
a public speech characterized by a studied or elevated style, diction, or delivery.

Origin of oration

1325–75; Middle English oracion < Latin ōrātiōn- (stem of ōrātiō) speech, prayer, equivalent to ōrāt(us) (past participle of ōrāre to plead, derivative of ōr-, stem of ōs mouth) + -iōn- -ion

Can be confusedoration peroration

Synonyms for oration

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1. See speech. 2. discourse, declamation.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for oration

spiel, homily, harangue, sermon, address, declamation, discourse, pitch, lecture, soapbox

Examples from the Web for oration

Contemporary Examples of oration

Being young and oh-so-clever, I thought it would be witty to close my oration with a quote that depended on the f-word.
My Commencement Address
Christopher Buckley
May 17, 2009

Historical Examples of oration

His oration was lengthy and his eulogy spoken with evident emotion.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Four years since, he delivered the oration on the occasion of its semi-centennial.
The Bay State Monthly, Vol. 1, Issue 1.
Various
There is no measure or end of my praises, and yet 'tis fit my oration have an end.
The Praise of Folly
Desiderius Erasmus
In ten minutes the old Indian was delivering an oration to us, squatted in resignation.
The Forest
Stewart Edward White
From an oration on "Columbus and the Exposition," delivered in Chicago in 1890.
Christopher Columbus and His Monument Columbia
Various

British Dictionary definitions for oration

oration

noun

a formal public declaration or speech
any rhetorical, lengthy, or pompous speech
an academic exercise or contest in public speaking

Word Origin for oration

C14: from Latin ōrātiō speech, harangue, from ōrāre to plead, pray

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 oration

late 14c., "prayer," from Late Latin orationem (nominative oratio) "a speaking, speech, discourse; language, faculty of speech, mode of expressing; prayer," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin orare "to pray, plead, speak before an assembly" (see orator). Meaning "formal speech, discourse" first recorded c.1500.