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A figure of speech whereby the mental habitude of an adversary or opponent is feigned for the purpose of arguing against him. Crabb.

Having the faculty of speech but imperfectly developed or partially lost.

Full of sense, meaning, or reason; reasonable; judicious. [R.] "Senseful speech." Spenser. "Men, otherwise senseful and ingenious." Norris.

The making of speeches or sermons; sermonizing. [Obs.] Peacham.

One who makes sermons or speeches. [Obs.] Howell.

eting and the prorogation or adjournment; thus, a session of Parliaments is opened with a speech from the throne, and closed by prorogation. The session of a judicial court is called a term. It was resolved that the convocation should meet at the beginning of the next session of Parliament. Macaulay.…

hine, tightly upon another part, to prevent the one from slipping upon the other. -- Set speech, a speech carefully prepared before it is delivered in public; a formal or methodical speech.

Plowman. Doubtless he shrives this woman, . . . Else ne'er could he so long protract his speech. Shak. Till my guilty soul be shriven. Longfellow.

represent by a sign; to make known in a typical or emblematic manner, in distinction from speech; to signify. I signed to Browne to make his retreat. Sir W. Scott.

Forbearance from, or absence of, speech; taciturnity; muteness.

Not speaking; indisposed to talk; speechless; mute; taciturn; not loquacious; not talkative. Ulysses, adds he, was the most eloquent and most silent of men. Broome. This new-created world, whereof in hell Fame is not silent. Milton.

Made of silver. [Archaic.] Wyclif (Acts xix. 24). Speech is silvern; silence is golden. Old Proverb.

Embodying or containing slander; calumnious; as, slanderous words, speeches, or reports. -- Slan"der*ous*ly, adv. -- Slan"der*ous*ness, n.

To err; to fall into error or fault. There is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from his heart. Ecclus. xix. 16. To let slip, to loose from the slip or noose, as a hound; to allow to escape. Cry, "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war. Shak.

Not ready; not prompt or quick; dilatory; sluggish; as, slow of speech, and slow of tongue. Fixed on defense, the Trojans are not slow To guard their shore from an expected foe. Dryden.

Causing a smart; pungent; pricking; as, a smart stroke or taste. How smart lash that speech doth give my conscience. Shak.

Uttered, as an element of speech, with tone or proper vocal sound, as distinguished from mere breath sound; intonated; voiced; tonic; the opposite of nonvocal, or surd; -- sid of the vowels, semivowels, liquids, and nasals, and particularly of the consonants b, d, g hard, v, etc., as compared with their cognates p, t,…

bs., except in the phrase To sound in damages, below.] Soun[d]ing in moral virtue was his speech. Chaucer. -- To sound in damages (Law), to have the essential quality of damages. This is said of an action brought, not for the recovery of a specific thing, as replevin, etc., but for damages only, as trespass, and the li…

Sparing; frugal; parsimonious; chary. He was spare, but discreet of speech. Carew.

To utter a speech, discourse, or harangue; to adress a public assembly formally. Many of the nobility made themselves popular by speaking in Parliament against those things which were most grateful to his majesty. Clarendon.