verbatim means corresponding with the original word for word. It carries an Arena rating of 1807, earned across 44 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, verbatim ranks #1,632 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,123 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #4,109 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #5,476 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
verbatim is pronounced /vɜːˈbeɪ.tɪm/.
Why “verbatim” is a great word
VERBATIM — [Adjective, Adverb, Noun] Corresponding word for word with the original source; an exact, word-for-word report or reproduction. From Medieval Latin verbātim ("word for word"), from Latin verbum ("word") + the adverbial suffix -ātim; first attested in English c. 1475–1481. Unlike a "paraphrase," which restates meaning in different words, or the "gist," which offers only the general essence, "verbatim" is a pact of rigid, unyielding fidelity. It is the cold, mechanical clatter of a stenographer’s keys capturing every syllable in a courtroom; the painstaking transcription of a crumbling manuscript where a single misplaced comma is heresy; and the unnerving precision of a child repeating back every harsh word you wished they had not heard. It is the fragile faith that meaning resides in the sacred, brittle vessel of the letter itself.
Etymology
Attested in English since 1481 (therefore considered a Middle English derivation by some): from Medieval Latin verbātim (“word for word”), from Latin verbum (“word”) + -ātim (adverbial suffix).
adj
- Corresponding with the original word for word.e.g.“Date unknown: Joint Committee on Printing Congress of the United States, General Statement of Procedure for Verbatim Reporting of Proceedings in Senate Chamber, page five:”
- Able to take down a speech word for word, especially in shorthand.
adv
- Word for word; in exactly the same words as were used originally.e.g.“I have copied his speech verbatim, so this is exactly what he said, word for word.”
- Orally; verbally.e.g.“I […]am not able
Verbatim to rehearse the method of my pen” — 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Bl
noun
- A word-for-word report of a speech.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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