dictation

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act of speaking words for another person or a device to write or record

   The lawyer drafted the letter by dictation during the train journey.

2. 2
   noun

   a language-learning exercise in which students write down a passage read aloud

   Friday's dictation tested the class on unfamiliar spellings.

3. 3
   noun

   words that have been dictated, or an authoritative command

   The secretary typed the morning's dictation before lunch.

From Late Latin dictatio, 'the act of dictating,' from dictare, 'to say repeatedly, compose, or prescribe.' Dictare is the frequentative of Latin dicere, 'to say.' The educational sense developed from the practice of reading a passage aloud for learners to reproduce in writing.

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