speaker

A2 Topic:Communication

US /ˈspikɚ/ UK /ˈspiːkə/ See IPA manual

Freq #4765

Meanings

1

noun
A device that produces sound from a phone, computer, or stereo.

She lost some hearing after standing too close to the speakers at the concert.
2

noun
A person who gives a speech or talk to an audience.

The main speaker at the conference was a famous scientist.
3

noun
A person who speaks, especially in a particular language.

The course is designed for speakers of English as a second language.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a device that produces... loudspeaker

2 noun · a person who gives a speech... orator presenter speechmaker

More talker

Word family

Forms speakers

Derived forms doublespeakerforespeakerforthspeakergainspeakerinterspeakerintraspeakerlawspeakermultispeakernative-speakernon-native-speakernonspeakersemispeaker

Etymology

From Middle English speker, spekere, an alteration (with change of suffix) of Old English speca, spreca (“speaker”), from Proto-Germanic *sprekô (“speaker”), equivalent to speak + -er. Compare Saterland Frisian Spreeker (“speaker”), West Frisian sprekker (“speaker”), Dutch spreker (“speaker”), German Low German Spreker (“speaker”), German Sprecher (“speaker”).

speker Middle English speca Old English *sprekô Proto-Germanic

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# speaker

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈspikɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈspiːkə/
**Frequency rank:** 4765

## Meanings
1. A device that produces sound from a phone, computer, or stereo.
2. A person who gives a speech or talk to an audience.
3. A person who speaks, especially in a particular language.

## Examples
- She lost some hearing after standing too close to the speakers at the concert.
- The main speaker at the conference was a famous scientist.
- The course is designed for speakers of English as a second language.

## Synonyms
- talker

## Derived Forms
- doublespeaker
- forespeaker
- forthspeaker
- gainspeaker
- interspeaker
- intraspeaker
- lawspeaker
- multispeaker
- native-speaker
- non-native-speaker
- nonspeaker
- semispeaker

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: speker
- Root: speca
- Root: *sprekô

## Etymology
From Middle English speker, spekere, an alteration (with change of suffix) of Old English speca, spreca (“speaker”), from Proto-Germanic *sprekô (“speaker”), equivalent to speak + -er. Compare Saterland Frisian Spreeker (“speaker”), West Frisian sprekker (“speaker”), Dutch spreker (“speaker”), German Low German Spreker (“speaker”), German Sprecher (“speaker”).

## AI Etymology
Speaker is from Middle English speker, spekere, an alteration (with change of suffix) of Old English speca, spreca (“speaker”), from Proto-Germanic *sprekô (“speaker”), equivalent to speak + -er. Compare Saterland Frisian Spreeker (“speaker”), West Frisian sprekker (“speaker”), Dutch spreker (“speaker”), German Low German Spreker (“speaker”), German Sprecher (“speaker”). Important forms in the word's history include Middle English speker, Old English speca, Proto-Germanic *sprekô. In current use it includes senses such as A device that produces sound from a phone, computer, or stereo and A person who gives a speech or talk to an audience.

## Topics
- Communication
- Technology & Computing

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speaker

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