orator

[awr-uh-ter, or-]

noun

1. a person who delivers an oration; a public speaker, especially one of great eloquence.

   Demosthenes was one of the great orators of ancient Greece.

2. Law.,  a plaintiff in a case in a court of equity.

orator

/ ˈɒrətə /

noun

1. a public speaker, esp one versed in rhetoric

2. a person given to lengthy or pompous speeches

3. obsolete,  the claimant in a cause of action in chancery

Other Word Forms

• oratorlike adjective
• oratorship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of orator¹

1325–75; < Latin ōrātor speaker, suppliant, equivalent to ōrā ( re ) ( oration ) + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English oratour < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Example Sentences

The greatest of the Roman orators, Cicero was known for his long and carefully plotted sentences that did not reveal their full meaning until the very last word.

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Therein lies a dilemma, because Franco was not an especially compelling orator or a magnetic, mercurial personality after the fashion of Hitler, Mussolini and, you know, others we could name.

Read more on Salon

A firsthand account by an escaped slave who became a famous abolitionist and orator, this memoir reframed slavery as coerced labor.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Although she was never a great orator, her voice was heard loud and clear, defining an era in American politics.

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By then, Nehru had gained a reputation as a formidable orator, delivering extempore speeches that ranged effortlessly across politics, science, art, and ethics.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• lecturer 
• preacher 
• public speaker www.thesaurus.com