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speak

speak


speak  (spk)
v. spoke (spk), spo·ken (spkn), speak·ing, speaks
v.intr.
1. To utter words or articulate sounds with ordinary speech modulation; talk.
2.
a. To convey thoughts, opinions, or emotions orally.
b. To express oneself.
c. To be on speaking terms: They are no longer speaking.
3. To deliver an address or lecture: The mayor spoke at the rally.
4.
a. To make a statement in writing: The biography speaks of great loneliness.
b. To act as spokesperson: spoke for the entire staff.
5.
a. To convey a message by nonverbal means: Actions speak louder than words.
b. To be expressive: spoke with her eyes.
c. To be appealing: His poetry speaks to ones heart.
6. To make a reservation or request. Often used with for: Is this dance spoken for? I spoke for the last slice of pizza.
7.
a. To produce a characteristic sound: The drums spoke.
b. To give off a sound on firing. Used of guns or cannon.
8. To make communicative sounds.
9. To give an indication or a suggestion: His manners spoke of good upbringing.
v.tr.
1. To articulate in a speaking voice: spoke words of wisdom.
2. To converse in or be able to converse in (a language): speaks German.
3.
a. To express aloud; tell: speak the truth.
b. To express in writing.
4. Nautical To hail and communicate with (another vessel) at sea.
5. To convey by nonverbal means: His eyes spoke volumes.
Phrasal Verbs:
speak out
To talk freely and fearlessly, as about a public issue.
speak up
1. To speak loud enough to be audible.
2. To speak without fear or hesitation.
Idioms:
so to speak
In a manner of speaking: cant see the forest for the trees, so to speak.
speak down to
To speak condescendingly to: She never spoke down to her audience.
to speak of
Worthy of mention: Theres nothing new to speak of.
[Middle English speken, from Old English sprecan, specan.]
speaka·ble adj.
Synonyms: speak, talk, converse1, discourse
These verbs mean to express ones thoughts by uttering words. Speak and talk, often interchangeable, are the most general: He ate without once speaking to his companion. On an occasion of this kind it becomes more than a moral duty to speak ones mind. It becomes a pleasure (Oscar Wilde). I want to talk with you about vacation plans. Lets talk sense to the American people (Adlai E. Stevenson).
Converse stresses interchange of thoughts and ideas: With thee conversing I forget all time (John Milton).
Discourse usually refers to formal, extended speech: striding through the city, stick in hand, discoursing spontaneously on the writings of Hazlitt (Manchester Guardian Weekly).
Word History: Because English is a Germanic language, first-year German produces many moments of recognition for English speakers and several puzzles. For example, when we learn the verb sprechen, sprach, gesprochen, to speak, and the noun Sprache, speech, language, we wonder whether we lost the r or the Germans put one in. Sounds are more often lost than added in language change, and this is the case here. In Old English the verb was sprecan, the noun sprc, both with an r as in German (and in the other Germanic languages). The r-less forms began to appear in the south of England and became common in the 11th century; the forms with r disappeared completely by the middle of the 12th. A similar loss of r after a consonant and before a vowel occurred in the Middle English noun prang and its variant pronge, severe pain, sharp pain. Pronge survives today as prong (of a pitchfork, for example). The plural of prang appears in a poem composed about 1400 as pangus, sharp stabs of pain, and survives today as pang, sharp, stabbing pain.


speak  /spik/  v. spoke /spok/, spoken /spokn/, speaking, speaks 1 [I] to say words, to talk: I spoke with my friend on the telephone. 2 [I] to give a speech: He will speak at his high school graduation. 3 [I] to be friendly with (usu. used in the negative): They had a fight and are not speaking. 4 [T] to know a language: to speak Portuguese 5 so to speak: in a way: Ive known him for years; he is my friend, so to speak. 6 speaking of: with regard to s.t. or s.o. just mentioned: Speaking of him, does he like his job? 7 phrasal v. [T] to speak at: to give a speech at: The president will speak at a meeting of governors. 8 phrasal v. insep. [T] to speak or talk down to s.o.: to talk to s.o. as if he or she were not smart: Dont speak down to me; I can understand complex things. 9 to speak for oneself or itself: a. to be obvious: You cannot trust him; his lying speaks for itself. b. dont think that others share ones opinion: Spinach is delicious. Speak for yourself; I hate it. 10 phrasal v. insep. [T] a. to speak for s.o. or s.t.: to give an opinion: She speaks for protecting wildlife. b. to get the right to s.t.: I wanted to buy that chair, but it was spoken for. 11 to speak of: worth mentioning, talking about: She didnt go to high school; she has no education to speak of.||Weve had no rain to speak of. 12 to speak ones mind: to say exactly what one thinks: The boss spoke his mind about the future of the company. 13 phrasal v. [I] to speak out: to protest: He speaks out about problems in government. 14 phrasal v. [I] to speak up: a. to talk louder: Will you speak up? I cant hear you. b. to express ones interests strongly: He tried to force me to pay for a bad meal, but I spoke up and told him I would not. 15 phrasal v. insep. [T] to speak with s.o.: to talk with s.o. about a problem: I must speak with my son about his cigarette smoking. speak
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