recitation

[ res-i-tey-shuh n ]

/ ˌrɛs ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recitation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act of reciting.

a reciting or repeating of something from memory, especially formally or publicly.

oral response by a pupil or pupils to a teacher on a prepared lesson.

a period of classroom instruction.

an elocutionary delivery of a piece of poetry or prose, without the text, before an audience.

a piece so delivered or for such delivery.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

reciprocity failure, recision, recit., recital, recitatif, recitation, recitative, recitativo, recite, reck, reckless

Origin of recitation

1475–85; < Latin recitātiōn- (stem of recitātiō), equivalent to recitāt(us) (past participle of recitāre to recite) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

non·rec·i·ta·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recitation

Poindexter followed with a recitation of the Iran program filled with deliberate inaccuracies.
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations|Malcolm Byrne|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Any list of his conspicuous qualities turns out to be a recitation of opposites.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The janitor took me to the recitation hall, opened the door, and left me.
All the Days of My Life: An Autobiography|Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
After the recitation an interesting conversation took place.
Jasmin: Barber, Poet, Philanthropist|Samuel Smiles

Add to it, if you will, at the close of the recitation, this earnest question: "Why not to-day?"
Sunday-School Success|Amos R. Wells
But the effect of the recitation of “Palestine” was entirely unrivalled on that as on any other occasion.
Pioneers and Founders|Charlotte Mary Yonge
He could not talk for a minute without throwing in a bit of a recitation and striking an attitude.
Adventures of a Despatch Rider|W. H. L. Watson

British Dictionary definitions for recitation

recitation

/ (ˌrɛsɪˈteɪʃən) /

noun

the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse before an audience

something recited

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