speaking

Word Origin & History

Old English specan, variant of sprecan "to speak" (class V strong verb; past tense spræc, past participle sprecen), from Proto-Germanic *sprekanan (cf. Old Saxon sprecan, Old Frisian spreka, Middle Dutch spreken, Old High German sprehhan, German sprechen "to speak," Old Norse spraki "rumor, report"), cognate with Latin spargere "to strew" (speech as a "scattering" of words; see sparse).

The -r- began to drop out in Late West Saxon and was gone by mid-12c., perhaps from influence of Danish spage "crackle," in a slang sense of "speak" (cf. crack in slang senses having to do with speech, e.g. wisecrack, cracker, all it's cracked up to be). Rare variant forms without -r- also are found in Middle Dutch (speken) and Old High German (spehhan).

Not the primary word for "to speak" in Old English (the "Beowulf" author prefers maþelian, from mæþel "assembly, council," from root of metan "to meet;" cf. Greek agoreuo "to speak," originally "speak in the assembly," from agora "assembly").

Example Sentences for speaking

Some of these bright beings are speaking, and others are silent.

I have more than once tried to deceive you, but you will feel that I am not now speaking falsely.

She heard him speaking in a voice not louder than a whisper, rapid, distinct.

I have used the words "they" and "their" in speaking of these heroes.

"Yes," said Dick, staring in front of him and speaking in a dull, even voice.

I am not speaking pantheistically here, any more than when I spoke of light.

I am speaking for the moment only of the degree to which the testing comes.

Neither am I speaking theoretically, as I have tried to make plain.

Hester rose and left the room, indignant with him for speaking so of his father.

"Because I was a coward," answered Corney, speaking the truth with courage.

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adj talking

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articulation

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oratory

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speaking

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.css-1unrqcp{color:inherit;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}articulation

discourse

expression

expressions

oratory

public speaking

articulation