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Definition of philippic - 3 dictionary results

Phi⋅lip⋅pic

  [fi-lip-ik]
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–noun
1. any of the orations delivered by Demosthenes, the Athenian orator, in the 4th century b.c., against Philip, king of Macedon.
2. (lowercase) any speech or discourse of bitter denunciation.
Origin:
1585–95; < L Philippicus < Gk Philippikós. See Philip, -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Phi·lip·pic   (fĭ-lĭp'ĭk)   
n.  

  1. Any of the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedon in the fourth century B.C.

  2. Any of the orations of Cicero against Antony in 44 B.C.

  3. philippic A verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, often insulting language; a tirade.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

philippic 
1592, "bitter invective discourse," from M.Fr. philippique, from L. orationes Philippicæ, translation of Gk. Philippikoi logoi. The L. phrase was used of the speeches made by Cicero against Marc Antony in 44 and 43 B.C.E.; originally of speeches made in Athens by Demosthenes in 351-341 B.C.E. urging Greeks to unite and fight the rising power of Philip II of Macedon.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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