Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

utterance

 - 4 dictionary results

ut⋅ter⋅ance

1  [uht-er-uhns]
Use utterance in a Sentence
–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

ut⋅ter⋅ance

2  [uht-er-uhns]
–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To utterance
ut·ter·ance 1   (ŭt'ər-əns)   
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.

  2. Something uttered or expressed; a statement.

ut·ter·ance 2   (ŭt'ər-əns)   
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 © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see utterance on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way