/ ˌpɜːləˈkjuːʃn; NAmE ˌpɜːrl-/ noun
[ U , C ] ( linguistics ) an act of speaking or writing which has an action as its aim, but which does not itself perform that action, for example persuading or convincing
► per·lo·cu·tion·ary / ˌpɜːləˈkjuːʃənəri; NAmE ˌpɜːrləˈkjuːʃəneri/ adjective
••
WORD ORIGIN
1950s: from modern Latin perlocutio(n-) , from per- throughout + locutio(n-) speaking.