diction
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English
Etymology
From late Middle English diccion (“something said; a word or phrase”) (an obsolete sense in Modern English), borrowed directly from Latin dictiō (“a saying, speaking, uttering”) or from Old French dicïon (“word”) (Anglo-Norman dictyoun), from Late Latin dictiō (“word”), both from dīcō (“to say, to talk”) + -tiō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show, to point out”).[1][2][3]
The modern senses of “choice and use of words” and “clarity of word choice” were likely influenced by additional senses of dictiō.[4]
Pronunciation
Noun
diction (countable and uncountable, plural dictions)
- Choice and use of words, especially with regard to effective communication.
- The effectiveness and degree of clarity of word choice and expression.
- His poor diction meant that most of the audience didn't really understand the key points of the presentation.
- (theater) Enunciation, pronunciation.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
clarity of word choice
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References
- ^ “dicciọ̄n, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- ^ “diction”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- ^ John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “diction”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.
- ^ “dictĭo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press: “A. (Good prose, for the most part only in jurid. and rhetor. lang.) […] B. Kinds of delivery, style, diction […] C. The use of a word or phrase, a mode of expression […] B. The art of speaking, oratory”
Further reading
- “diction”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “diction”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dictiōnem, from dictus, past participle of dicere (“to speak”), from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show, point out”).
Pronunciation
Noun
diction f (plural dictions)
- diction (clarity of word choice)
Further reading
- “diction”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.