ORATORY

oratory

(noun) addressing an audience formally (usually a long and rhetorical address and often pompous); “he loved the sound of his own oratory”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

oratory (plural oratories)

A private chapel or prayer room. [from 14th c.]

A large Roman Catholic church.

Etymology 2

Noun

oratory (uncountable)

The art of public speaking, especially in a formal, expressive, or forceful manner. [from 16th c.]

Eloquence; the quality of artistry and persuasiveness in speech or writing.

Synonyms

• (art of public speaking): public speaking

Source: Wiktionary


Or"a*to*ry, n.; pl. Oratories. Etym: [OE. oratorie, fr. L. oratorium, fr. oratorius of praying, of an orator: cf. F. oratoire. See Orator, Oral, and cf. Oratorio.]

Definition: A place of orisons, or prayer; especially, a chapel or small room set apart for private devotions. An oratory [temple] . . . in worship of Dian. Chaucer. Do not omit thy prayers for want of a good oratory, or place to pray in. Jer. Taylor. Fathers of the Oratory (R. C. Ch.), a society of priests founded by St. Philip Neri, living in community, and not bound by a special vow. The members are called also oratorians.

Or"a*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. oratoria (sc. ars) the oratorical art.]

Definition: The art of an orator; the art of public speaking in an eloquent or effective manner; the exercise of rhetorical skill in oral discourse; eloquence. "The oratory of Greece and Rome." Milton. When a world of men Could not prevail with all their oratory. Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 March 2025

FREELANCER

(noun) a writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them


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Coffee Trivia

Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.

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