DICTATING

Verb

dictating

present participle of dictate

Source: Wiktionary


DICTATE

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



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Word of the Day

3 May 2025

DESIRABLE

(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee shop is the Al Masaa Café, which has 1,050 seats. The coffee shop was inaugurated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 13 August 2014.

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