n. Function: noun
1 communication, expression, or interchange of thoughts in spoken words FF1C; considered speech as a means of reproducing for one's listeners the images in one's mind FF1E;
Synonyms: discourse, speaking, talk, utterance, verbalization; compare VOCALIZATION
Related Words: articulation, uttering, vocalization, vocalizing, voice, voicing; expressing, expression; language
Idioms: oral communication, vocal expression
2 a usually formal discourse delivered to an audience FF1C; a televised speech to the nation FF1E;
Synonyms: address, allocution, lecture, talk
Related Words: debate, parlance, parley; declamation, harangue, oration, speechification
3
Synonyms: LANGUAGE 1, dialect, idiom, tongue, vernacular