Dictionary

dictate en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈdɪkˌteɪt/

Etymology

First attested in 1581; borrowed from Latin dictātum (“a thing said, something dictated”), substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of dictātus, the perfect passive participle of dictō (“pronounce or declare repeatedly; dictate”), frequentative of dīcō (“say, speak”). Doublet of diktat.

Meanings

1. An order or command.
   • I must obey the dictates of my conscience.

Forms

Translations (22)

de Diktat (an order or command) · tr ferman (an order or command) · tr buyuru (an order or command) · ar إِمْلَاء (an order or command) · it dettame (an order or command) · es dictado (an order or command) · bg за́повед (an order or command) · hu diktátum (an order or command) · bg дикта́т (an order or command) · gl orde (an order or command) · mr हुकुम (an order or command) · bg наре́ждане (an order or command) · hu parancs (an order or command) · pt comando (an order or command) · de Gebot (an order or command) · tr buyruk (an order or command) · tr dikta (an order or command) · tr emir (an order or command) · ru веле́ние (an order or command) · pt ordem (an order or command) · pl nakaz (an order or command) · ru дикта́т (an order or command)

dictate en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /(ˌ)dɪkˈteɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈdɪkˌteɪt/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *déyḱeti Proto-Italic *deikō Latin dīcō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -tō Latin dictō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin dictātusbor. English dictate First attested in 1577; borrowed from Latin dictātus, perfect passive participle of dictō (“to pronounce or declare repeatedly; to dictate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), frequentative of dīcō (“say, speak”).

Meanings

1. To order, command, control.
   • Etiquette dictates that wedding invitations should be acknowledged in writing.
   • Trademark Owners will nevertheless try to dictate how their marks are to be represented, but dictionary publishers with spine can resist such pressure. 2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 409:
2. To speak in order for someone to write down the words.
   • The French teacher dictated a passage from Victor Hugo.
   • She is dictating a letter to a stenographer.
3. To determine or decisively affect.
   • Geology dictates the approximate location of the tunnel. 1961 December, “The Channel Tunnel—a realistic proposal”, in Trains Illustrated, page 723:
   • He had offered, and been refused! There was that in her own nature, which sympathised with the pride, for such she held to be the motive, dictating the refusal. 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Return to Courtenaye Hall”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 151:
   • I didn't lay this bar, or the restaurant for that matter, out on paper. The design was dictated by the materials. 1977 August 20, David Holland, quoting Tony Bosco, “Tony Bosco”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 7, page 19:

Forms

Deriveds

dictater · dictatable · misdictate · dictatingly · undictated · undictating · redictate

Relateds

dictatress · dictatoress · dictatrix · dictator · dictation

Synonyms

We issue replacements as necessity dictates.

Translations (55)

es dictar (to order, command, control) · bg нареждам (to order, command, control) · pt comandar (to order, command, control) · mi whakatopatopa (to order, command, control) · cmn 命令 (to order, command, control) · de bestimmen (to order, command, control) · it dettare (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · it imporre (to order, command, control) · hu diktál (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · pl podyktować (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · ar أَكْتَبَ (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · ru кома́ндовать (to order, command, control) · pl podyktować (to order, command, control) · ar أَمْلَى (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · fi sanella (to order, command, control) · kk бұйрық беру (to order, command, control) · az diktə etmək (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · ru предпи́сывать (to order, command, control) · bg диктувам (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · az söyləyib yazdırmaq (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · la dictō (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · az deyib yazdırmaq (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · de vorschreiben (to order, command, control) · pt ordenar (to order, command, control) · pl dyktować (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · fr dicter (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · ga deachtaigh (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · sv diktera (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · ar أَمْلَى (to order, command, control) · pt controlar (to order, command, control) · ro dicta (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · ru диктова́ть (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · hu diktál (to order, command, control) · kk айтып жаздыру (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · es dictar (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · mi āhukareo (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · kk пәрмен беру (to order, command, control) · pl dyktować (to order, command, control) · cmn 要求 (to order, command, control) · de diktieren (to order, command, control) · pt ditar (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · cs diktovat (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · tr dikte etmek (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · he הכתיב (to order, command, control) · he הכתיב (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · cmn 听写 (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · az diktə etmək (to order, command, control) · fi sanella (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · hu tollba mond (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · bg командвам (to order, command, control) · cmn 規定 /规定 (to order, command, control) · de diktieren (to speak in order for someone to write down the words) · tr dikte etmek (to order, command, control) · it comandare (to order, command, control) · tl diktahan (to order, command, control)