declamation
/ˌdɛkləˈmeɪʃən/
declamation means the act or art of declaiming; rhetorical delivery; loud speaking in public. It carries an Arena rating of 1614, earned across 85 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, declamation ranks #1,132 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #3,020 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,270 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #5,401 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
declamation is pronounced /ˌdɛkləˈmeɪʃən/.
Why “declamation” is a great word
DECLAMATION — [Noun] The formal and often theatrical delivery of a prepared speech, particularly as a rhetorical exercise in style and technique. From the French déclamation, from the Latin dēclāmātiō, dēclāmātiōnem, from dēclāmō, dēclāmāre ("to practice public speaking, to declaim"). Unlike an oration—a significant, ceremonial address—or a conversation—a spontaneous, interactive exchange—declamation prizes the how over the what, the studied performance over the original moment. It is the schoolboy thundering Cicero’s cadences in a hushed hall, the politician rehearsing outrage before a silent mirror, the preacher’s voice echoing in an empty sanctuary—a polished vessel, long after the wine of its occasion has evaporated.
Etymology
From French déclamation, from Latin dēclāmātiō, dēclāmātiōnem, from dēclāmō, dēclāmāre; see declaim.
noun
- The act or art of declaiming; rhetorical delivery; loud speaking in public.
- The act or art of declaiming; rhetorical delivery; loud speaking in public.; The public recitation of speeches as an exercise in schools and colleges.
- A set or harangue; declamatory discourse.
- Pretentious rhetorical display, with more sound than sense.e.g.“mere declamation”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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