speech

 
Pronunciation: /spiːtʃ/

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] the expression of or the ability to express thoughts and feelings by articulate sounds: he was born deaf and without the power of speech
  • a person’s style of speaking: she wouldn’t accept his correction of her speech
  • 2a formal address or discourse delivered to an audience: he gave a speech about the company
  • a sequence of lines written for one character in a play: Antony’s speech over Caesar’s body

Origin:

Old English sprǣc, sprēc, later spēc, of West Germanic origin: related to Dutch spraak, German Sprache, also to speak