/ dɪkˈteɪʃn; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U ] the act of speaking or reading so that sb can write down the words
2.
[ C , U ] a test in which students write down what is being read to them, especially in language lessons
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent. originally meaning the action of giving orders : from late Latin dictatio(n-) , from the verb dictare .