dialogue
Use Dialogue in a sentence
əˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| chat, to converse |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
dialogue or dialog (ˈdaɪəˌlɒɡ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | conversation between two or more people |
| 2. | an exchange of opinions on a particular subject; discussion |
| 3. | the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction |
| 4. | a particular passage of conversation in a literary or dramatic work |
| 5. | a literary composition in the form of a dialogue |
| 6. | a political discussion between representatives of two nations or groups |
| —vb | |
| 7. | (tr) to put into the form of a dialogue |
| 8. | (intr) to take part in a dialogue; converse |
| [C13: from Old French dialoge, from Latin dialogus, from Greek dialogos, from dialegesthai to converse; see | |
| dialog or dialog | |
| —n | |
| —vb | |
| [C13: from Old French dialoge, from Latin dialogus, from Greek dialogos, from dialegesthai to converse; see | |
| dialogic or dialog | |
| —adj | |
| 'dialoguer or dialog | |
| —n | |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
dialogue
Cite This Source
dialogue
in its widest sense, the recorded conversation of two or more persons, especially as an element of drama or fiction. As a literary form, it is a carefully organized exposition, by means of invented conversation, of contrasting philosophical or intellectual attitudes. The oldest known dialogues are the Sicilian mimes, written in rhythmic prose by Sophron of Syracuse in the early 5th century BC. Although none of these has survived, Plato knew and admired them. But the form of philosophic dialogue that he perfected by 400 BC was sufficiently original to be an independent literary creation. With due attention to characterization and the dramatic situation from which the discussion arises, it develops dialectically the main tenets of Platonic philosophy. To Lucian in the 2nd century AD the dialogue owes a new tone and function. His influential Dialogues of the Dead, with their coolly satirical tone, inspired innumerable imitations in England and France during the 17th and 18th centuries, e.g., dialogues by the French writers Bernard de Fontenelle (1683) and Francois Fenelon (1700-12).
Learn more about dialogue with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
