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