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utterance

1
[ uht-er-uhns ]
/ ˈʌt ər əns /
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noun
an act of uttering; vocal expression.
manner of speaking; power of speaking: His very utterance was spellbinding.
something uttered; a word or words uttered; a cry, animal's call, or the like.
Linguistics. any speech sequence consisting of one or more words and preceded and followed by silence: it may be coextensive with a sentence.
Obsolete. a public sale of goods.
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Origin of utterance

1
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at utter1, -ance

Other definitions for utterance (2 of 2)

utterance2
[ uht-er-uhns ]
/ ˈʌt ər əns /

noun Archaic.
the utmost extremity, especially death.

Origin of utterance

2
1350–1400; Middle English <Old French outrance, oultrance, equivalent to oultr(er) to pass beyond (<Latin ultrā beyond) + -ance-ance
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use utterance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for utterance (1 of 2)

utterance1
/ (ˈʌtərəns) /

noun
something uttered, such as a statement
the act or power of uttering or the ability to utter
logic philosophy an element of spoken language, esp a sentenceCompare inscription (def. 4)

British Dictionary definitions for utterance (2 of 2)

utterance2
/ (ˈʌtərəns) /

noun
archaic, or literary the bitter end (esp in the phrase to the utterance)

Word Origin for utterance

C13: from Old French oultrance, from oultrer to carry to excess, from Latin ultrā beyond
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
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