Dictionary

diction en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈdɪk.ʃən/

Etymology

From late Middle English diccion (“something said; a word or phrase”) (an obsolete sense in Modern English), borrowed directly from Latin dictiō (“a saying, speaking, uttering”) or from Old French dicïon (“word”) (Anglo-Norman dictyoun), from Late Latin dictiō (“word”), both from dīcō (“to say, to talk”) + -tiō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show, to point out”). The modern senses of “choice and use of words” and “clarity of word choice” were likely influenced by additional senses of dictiō.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Choice and use of words, especially with regard to effective communication; the effectiveness and degree of clarity of word choice and expression.
   • His poor diction meant that most of the audience didn't really understand the key points of the presentation.
   • the identification of the poetic impulse with sonorous diction
2. (countable, uncountable) Enunciation, pronunciation, or both.

Forms

Deriveds

dictional

Relateds

elocution · dictate · prosody · dictum · articulation · dictionary · dictation

Translations (38)

grc λέξις (clarity of word choice) · et sõnastus (clarity of word choice) · fa گویه (clarity of word choice) · io diciono (clarity of word choice) · ga briathraíocht (clarity of word choice) · it dizione (clarity of word choice) · es dicción (clarity of word choice) · cmn 吐字 (clarity of word choice) · fr diction (clarity of word choice) · cs způsob vyjadřování (clarity of word choice) · da diktion (clarity of word choice) · pt dicção (clarity of word choice) · de Ausdrucksweise (clarity of word choice) · hu előadásmód (clarity of word choice) · cs dikce (clarity of word choice) · kmr gotin (clarity of word choice) · pl dykcja (clarity of word choice) · et väljendusviis (clarity of word choice) · id diksi (clarity of word choice) · fa بیان (clarity of word choice) · sh dìkcija (clarity of word choice) · tr söyleyim (clarity of word choice) · fi kirjoitustapa (clarity of word choice) · fi diktio (clarity of word choice) · ja ディクション (clarity of word choice) · fi sananvalinta (clarity of word choice) · ru ди́кция (clarity of word choice) · bg ди́кция (clarity of word choice) · ja 言い回し (clarity of word choice) · kmr derbirîn (clarity of word choice) · ca dicció (clarity of word choice) · he דִּיקְצִיָּה (clarity of word choice) · la dictio (clarity of word choice) · de Diktion (clarity of word choice) · la eloquium (clarity of word choice) · fi lausuntatapa (clarity of word choice) · sh дѝкција (clarity of word choice) · nl dictie (clarity of word choice)