utterance

1
[ uht-er-uh ns ]
/ ˈʌt ər əns /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR utterance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act of uttering; vocal expression.
manner of speaking; power of speaking: His very utterance was spellbinding.
something uttered; a word or words uttered; a cry, animal's call, or the like.
Linguistics. any speech sequence consisting of one or more words and preceded and followed by silence: it may be coextensive with a sentence.
Obsolete. a public sale of goods.

Origin of utterance

1
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at utter1, -ance

Words nearby utterance

uttar pradesh, uttarakhand, utter, utter a word, utter barrister, utterance, uttering, utterly, uttermost, utu, utuado

Definition for utterance (2 of 2)

utterance 2
[ uht-er-uh ns ]
/ ˈʌt ər əns /

noun Archaic.

the utmost extremity, especially death.

Origin of utterance

2
1350–1400; Middle English < Old French outrance, oultrance, equivalent to oultr(er) to pass beyond (< Latin ultrā beyond) + -ance -ance

Words related to utterance

pronouncement, assertion, saying, sentence, ejaculation, vent, rant, announcement, discourse, speech, oration, statement, reply, vociferation, speaking, articulation, delivery, vocalization, recitation, words

Example sentences from the Web for utterance

British Dictionary definitions for utterance (1 of 2)

utterance 1
/ (ˈʌtərəns) /

noun

something uttered, such as a statement
the act or power of uttering or the ability to utter
logic philosophy an element of spoken language, esp a sentence Compare inscription (def. 4)

British Dictionary definitions for utterance (2 of 2)

utterance 2
/ (ˈʌtərəns) /

noun

archaic, or literary the bitter end (esp in the phrase to the utterance)

Word Origin for utterance

C13: from Old French oultrance, from oultrer to carry to excess, from Latin ultrā beyond