oration
NounUS[aw-rey-shuhn]/ɔˈreɪʃən/3 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)
- an instance of oratory“he delivered an oration on the decline of family values”Type of oratoryKinds perorationParts peroration
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
O·ra′tion noun
Origin: L. oratio, fr. orare to speak, utter, pray. See Oral, Orison.
An elaborate discourse, delivered in public, treating an important subject in a formal and dignified manner; especially, a discourse having reference to some special occasion, as a funeral, an anniversary, a celebration, or the like; — distinguished from an argument in court, a popular harangue, a sermon, a lecture, etc.; as, Webster's oration at Bunker Hill.
The lord archbishop... made a long oration.— Francis, Baron Verulam Bacon
Synonyms: Address; speech. See Harangue.
O·ra′tion intransitive verb
To deliver an oration. John Donne
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54