speech

speech
speech (n.) O.E. spæc "act of speaking, manner of speaking, formal utterance," variant of spræc, related to sprecan, specan "to speak" (see SPEAK (Cf. speak)), from P.Gmc. *sprækijo (Cf. Ger. Sprache "speech"). The spr- forms were extinct in English by 1200. Meaning "address delivered to an audience" first recorded 1580s. Speechify "talk in a pompous, pontifical way" first recorded 1723.
And I honor the man who is willing to sink
Half his present repute for the freedom to think,
And, when he has thought, be his cause strong or weak,
Will risk t' other half for the freedom to speak,
Caring naught for what vengeance the mob has in store,
Let that mob be the upper ten thousand or lower.
[James Russell Lowell, "A Fable for Critics," 1848]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • speech — /speech/, n. 1. the faculty or power of speaking; oral communication; ability to express one s thoughts and emotions by speech sounds and gesture: Losing her speech made her feel isolated from humanity. 2. the act of speaking: He expresses… …   Universalium

  • Speech — refers to the processes associated with the production and perception of sounds used in spoken language. A number of academic disciplines study speech and speech sounds, including acoustics, psychology, speech pathology, linguistics, cognitive… …   Wikipedia

  • speech — [ spitʃ ] n. m. • 1829; mot angl. ♦ Vieilli Petite allocution de circonstance, notamment en réponse à un toast. ⇒ discours; fam. laïus, topo. Il y eut quelques speechs (ou speeches) amusants. « en mourant, tous les hommes célèbres font un dernier …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • speech — W2S2 [spi:tʃ] n [: Old English; Origin: sprAc, spAc] 1.) a talk, especially a formal one about a particular subject, given to a group of people ▪ a campaign speech give/make/deliver a speech ▪ Each child had to give a short speech to the rest of… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • speech — [ spitʃ ] noun *** 1. ) count a formal occasion when someone speaks to an audience: He began his speech by outlining his plans for the coming year. make/give/deliver a speech: The queen made a wonderful speech in reply. a ) the words that someone …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Speech — Speech, n. [OE. speche, AS. sp?c, spr?, fr. specan, sprecan, to speak; akin to D. spraak speech, OHG. spr[=a]hha, G. sprache, Sw. spr?k, Dan. sprog. See {Speak}.] 1. The faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the faculty of expressing… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • speech — speech; speech·ful; speech·ifi·ca·tion; speech·ifi·er; speech·ify; speech·less; speech·less·ly; speech·less·ness; speech·ful·ness; …   English syllables

  • speech — [spēch] n. [ME speche < OE spæc, spræc < base of sprecan, to speak: see SPEAK] 1. the act of speaking; expression or communication of thoughts and feelings by spoken words 2. the power or ability to speak 3. the manner of speaking [her… …   English World dictionary

  • speech — n: words or conduct used to communicate or express a thought: expression see also commercial speech, freedom of speech, free speech …   Law dictionary

  • speech — 1 *language, tongue, dialect, idiom 2 Speech, address, oration, harangue, lecture, talk, sermon, homily designate a discourse delivered to an audience. Speech can apply to a public discourse irrespective of its quality or its degree of… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Speech — 〈[ spi:tʃ] f.; , es〉 Rede, Ansprache [engl., „Sprache, Rede“; zu speak „sprechen“] * * * Speech [spi:t̮ʃ], der; es, e u. es u. die; , e u. es […ɪs] [engl. speech] (selten): Rede, Ansprache: einen kleinen/eine kleine S. halten. * * * Speech… …   Universal-Lexikon

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