perlocution

British

/ ˌpɜːlɒˈkjuːʃən /

noun

Also called: perlocutionary act. philosophy the effect that someone has by uttering certain words, such as frightening a person Compare illocution

"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

Other Word Forms

perlocutionary

adjective

Etymology

Origin of perlocution

C16 (in the obsolete sense: the action of speaking): from Medieval or New Latin perlocūtiō; see _per- , _locution

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023