recitation

[ res-i-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. an act of reciting.
2. a reciting or repeating of something from memory, especially formally or publicly.
3. oral response by a pupil or pupils to a teacher on a prepared lesson.
4. a period of classroom instruction.
5. an elocutionary delivery of a piece of poetry or prose, without the text, before an audience.
6. a piece so delivered or for such delivery.

recitation

/ ˌrɛsɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse before an audience
2. something recited

Other Words From

• nonrec·i·tation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of recitation¹

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

Example Sentences

Malfunction includes an especially goofy moment of early-’00s awards-show banter in which he repeatedly responds to a recitation of her accomplishments by drooling over how “fine” she is.

From Time

It’s basically a recitation of rumors with little to nothing in the way of substantiation.

From Washington Post

Try to ask someone what they watched on television last night and you’ll get a recitation of shows, but as sure as there were shows, there was advertising.

From Ozy

Poindexter followed with a recitation of the Iran program filled with deliberate inaccuracies.

From The Daily Beast

Any list of his conspicuous qualities turns out to be a recitation of opposites.

From The Daily Beast

He then went through a scornful recitation of all the things he could do if he wanted to settle for cheap laughs.

From The Daily Beast

Moreover, this racial recitation is not done as a neutral or factual explanation as to why Baby Girl is considered Cherokee.

From The Daily Beast

The word Qur’ān means recitation, coming from the root q-r-‘, which means primarily to recite or declaim and then to read.

From The Daily Beast

He gasped a few times, then, gathering strength again, went on with that horrible spasmodic recitation.

From Project Gutenberg

The second grammar class had been relieved from a recitation by this confab, and somehow Perry had a subduing influence.

From Project Gutenberg

I believe I can pick out all these playwrights by a reference to their recitation papers.

From Project Gutenberg

Jess told what she had heard at the door of the recitation room that afternoon, and they laughed over it.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Purcell never noticed her out of the recitation room—Mr. Read was more lofty—Josephine more contemptuous than ever.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• monologue
• narration
• oration
• recital
• recounting
• rendering