orator

American  

[awr-uh-ter, or-] / ˈɔr ə tər, ˈɒr- /

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.

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orator British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• oratorlike adjective
• oratorship noun

Etymology

Origin of orator

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

Example Sentences

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.

From Salon

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From Salon

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

From BBC

The plaque that previously labelled the statue read "author, poet, scholar, soldier, jurist, orator, philanthropist and philosopher".

From BBC

Related Words

• lecturer
• preacher
• public speaker