Utterance definition | Dictionary.com

ut⋅ter⋅ance

1 [uht-er-uh

ns]

–noun

1.	an act of uttering; vocal expression.

2.	manner of speaking; power of speaking: His very utterance was spellbinding.

3.	something uttered; a word or words uttered; a cry, animal's call, or the like.

4.	Linguistics. any speech sequence consisting of one or more words and preceded and followed by silence: it may be coextensive with a sentence.

5.	Obsolete. a public sale of goods.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME; see utter ¹ , -ance

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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ut⋅ter⋅ance

2 [uht-er-uh

ns]

–noun Archaic.

the utmost extremity, esp. death.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < OF outrance, oultrance, equiv. to oultr(er) to pass beyond (< L ultrā beyond) + -ance -ance

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ut·ter·ance¹ (ŭt'ər-əns) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. The act of uttering; vocal expression.
2. The power of speaking; speech: as long as I have utterance.
3. A manner of speaking: argued with forceful utterance.
Something uttered or expressed; a statement.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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ut·ter·ance² (ŭt'ər-əns) Pronunciation Key
n. The uttermost end or extremity; the bitter end.

[Middle English, from Old French outrance, from outrer, to go beyond limits, from Vulgar Latin *ultrāre, from Latin ultrā, beyond; see al-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

utterance
noun
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Utterance

Ut"ter*ance\, n. 1. The act of uttering. Specifically: (a) Sale by offering to the public. [Obs.] --Bacon. (b) Putting in circulation; as, the utterance of false coin, or of forged notes. (c) Vocal expression; articulation; speech.

At length gave utterance to these words. --Milton.

2. Power or style of speaking; as, a good utterance.

They . . . began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. --Acts ii. 4.

O, how unlike To that large utterance of the early gods! --Keats.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Utterance

Ut"ter*ance\, n. [F. outrance. See Outrance.] The last extremity; the end; death; outrance. [Obs.]

Annibal forced those captives whom he had taken of our men to skirmish one against another to the utterance. --Holland.