Revised 2004 More entries for "oratorical"
oratoricaladjective1
Factsheet
What does the adjective oratorical mean?
There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective oratorical. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the adjective oratorical?
About 0.5occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 0.44 |
| 1760 | 0.47 |
| 1770 | 0.5 |
| 1780 | 0.62 |
| 1790 | 0.74 |
| 1800 | 0.77 |
| 1810 | 0.84 |
| 1820 | 0.94 |
| 1830 | 1.0 |
| 1840 | 1.1 |
| 1850 | 1.2 |
| 1860 | 1.4 |
| 1870 | 1.5 |
| 1880 | 1.5 |
| 1890 | 1.6 |
| 1900 | 1.6 |
| 1910 | 1.5 |
| 1920 | 1.3 |
| 1930 | 1.2 |
| 1940 | 1.1 |
| 1950 | 0.99 |
| 1960 | 0.83 |
| 1970 | 0.7 |
| 1980 | 0.6 |
| 1990 | 0.5 |
| 2000 | 0.46 |
| 2010 | 0.45 |
How is the adjective oratorical pronounced?
British English
/ˌɒrəˈtɒrᵻkl/
orr-uh-TORR-uh-kuhl
U.S. English
/ˌɔrəˈtɔrək(ə)l/
or-uh-TOR-uh-kuhl
Where does the adjective oratorical come from?
Earliest known use
late 1500s
The earliest known use of the adjective oratorical is in the late 1500s.
OED's earliest evidence for oratorical is from 1589, in the writing of Thomas Nashe, writer.
oratorical is a borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element.
Etymons: Latin ōrātor, ‑ical suffix.
Nearby entries
- orator, n.c1384–
- oratorial, adj.¹1546–
- oratorial, adj.²1806–
- oratorially, adv.¹1556–
- oratorially, adv.²1889
- Oratorian, n. & adj.²1652–
- oratorian, adj.¹1611–1734
- Oratorianism, n.1846–52
- Oratorianize, v.1848–83
- oratoric, adj.1656–
- oratorical, adj.¹1589–
- oratorical, adj.²1619
- oratorically, adv.1682–
- oratorio, n.1631–
- oratorio-frequenting, adj.1828–
- oratorious, adj.1563–1689
- oratoriously, adv.1563–1656
- oratorize, v.1620–
- orator-like, adj. & adv.1553–1672
- oratorly, adv.c1550
- orator Mum, n.1785–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for oratorical, adj.¹
oratorical, adj.¹ was revised in June 2004.
oratorical, adj.¹ was last modified in July 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into oratorical, adj.¹ in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1903)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for oratorical, adj.¹
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- orator, n.c1384–
- oratorial, adj.¹1546–
- oratorial, adj.²1806–
- oratorially, adv.¹1556–
- oratorially, adv.²1889
- Oratorian, n. & adj.²1652–
- oratorian, adj.¹1611–1734
- Oratorianism, n.1846–52
- Oratorianize, v.1848–83
- oratoric, adj.1656–
- oratorical, adj.¹1589–
- oratorical, adj.²1619
- oratorically, adv.1682–
- oratorio, n.1631–
- oratorio-frequenting, adj.1828–
- oratorious, adj.1563–1689
- oratoriously, adv.1563–1656
- oratorize, v.1620–
- orator-like, adj. & adv.1553–1672
- oratorly, adv.c1550
- orator Mum, n.1785–
