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One who utters or pronounces a discourse; usually, one who utters a speech in public; as, the man is a good speaker, or a bad speaker.

Uttering speech; used for conveying speech; as, man is a speaking animal; a speaking tube.

To bind or hold by, or as if by, a spell or charm; to fascinate, esp. by eloquence of speech, as in a political campaign. - - Spell"bind`er (#), n.

Uttered in speech; delivered by word of mouth; oral; as, a spoken narrative; the spoken word.

To utter a speech, especially in a pompous manner.

ed style; defiantly or extravagantly bombastic; as, a spread-eagle orator; a spread-eagle speech. [Colloq.& Humorous]

a spluttering sound; to utter hastily and confusedly, without control over the organs of speech. In the midst of caresses, and without the last pretend incitement, to sputter out the basest accusations. Swift.

A sarcastic speech or publication; a petty lampoon; a brief, witty essay. Who copied his squibs, and reëchoed his jokes. Goldsmith.

Apt to stammer; hesitating in speech; stuttering. -- Stam"mer*ing*ly, adv.

criterion; test. The court, which used to be the standard of property and correctness of speech. Swift. A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman. Burke.

Voice; speech; language. [Obs. or Scot.] Ye have as merry a steven As any angel hath that is in heaven. Chaucer.

He persevered for a stricken hour in such a torrent of unnecessary tattle. Sir W. Scott. Speeches are spoken by the stricken hour, day after day, week, perhaps, after week. Bayne.

m or arrange by previous thought; to con over, as in committing to memory; as, to study a speech.

rm in newly- settled districts. Hence also the phrases stump orator, stump speaker, stump speech, stump oratory, etc. [Colloq. U.S.]

The act of one who stutters; -- restricted by some physiologists to defective speech due to inability to form the proper sounds, the breathing being normal, as distinguished from stammering.

Sweetly speaking; using agreeable speech. [R.]

Sweetness of speech. [R.]

A noun or name; the part of speech which designates something that exists, or some object of thought, either material or immaterial; as, the words man, horse, city, goodness, excellence, are substantives.

Applied to, or distinguishing, a speech element consisting of tone, or proper vocal sound, not pure as in the vowels, but dimmed and otherwise modified by some kind of obstruction in the oral or the nasal passage, and in some cases with a mixture of breath sound; -- a term introduced by Dr. James Rush in 1833. See Guid…

Uttered, as an element of speech, without tone, or proper vocal sound; voiceless; unintonated; nonvocal; atonic; whispered; aspirated; sharp; hard, as f, p, s, etc.; -- opposed to sonant. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§169, 179, 180.