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”).
The modern senses of “choice and use of words” and “clarity of word choice” were likely influenced by additional senses of dictiō.
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.