dictate
(noun) a guiding principle; “the dictates of reason”
dictate
(noun) an authoritative rule
dictate
(verb) say out loud for the purpose of recording; “He dictated a report to his secretary”
order, prescribe, dictate
(verb) issue commands or orders for
dictate
(verb) rule as a dictator
Source: WordNet® 3.1
dictate (plural dictates)
An order or command.
dictate (third-person singular simple present dictates, present participle dictating, simple past and past participle dictated)
To order, command, control.
To speak in order for someone to write down the words.
Source: Wiktionary
Dic"tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dictated; p. pr. & vb. n. Dictating.] Etym: [L. dictatus, p. p. of dictare, freq. of dicere to say. See Diction, and cf. Dight.]
1. To tell or utter so that another may write down; to inspire; to compose; as, to dictate a letter to an amanuensis. The mind which dictated the Iliad. Wayland. Pages dictated by the Holy Spirit. Macaulay.
2. To say; to utter; to communicate authoritatively; to deliver (a command) to a subordinate; to declare with authority; to impose; as, to dictate the terms of a treaty; a general dictates orders to his troops. Whatsoever is dictated to us by God must be believed. Watts.
Syn.
– To suggest; prescribe; enjoin; command; point out; urge; admonish.
Dic"tate, v. i.
1. To speak as a superior; to command; to impose conditions (on). Who presumed to dictate to the sovereign. Macaulay.
2. To compose literary works; to tell what shall be written or said by another. Sylla could not skill of letters, and therefore knew not how to dictate. Bacon.
Dic"tate, n. Etym: [L. dictatum. See Dictate, v. t.]
Definition: A statement delivered with authority; an order; a command; an authoritative rule, principle, or maxim; a prescription; as, listen to the dictates of your conscience; the dictates of the gospel. I credit what the Grecian dictates say. Prior.
Syn.
– Command; injunction; direction suggestion; impulse; admonition.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
28 January 2025
(noun) a slight amount or degree of difference; “a tad too expensive”; “not a tad of difference”; “the new model is a shade better than the old one”
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
