speaker | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

57 entries found.

c. 1300, "one who speaks," agent noun from speak (v.). Similar formation in Old Frisian spreker, Old High German sprahhari, German Sprecher. First applied to "person who presides over an assembly" c. 1400, from similar use in Anglo-French (late 14c.) in reference to the English Parliament; later extended to the U.S. House of Representatives, etc. The electric amplifier so called from 1926, short for loud-speaker.

loud-speaker (n.)

also loudspeaker, "device for amplifying sound using an electric current," 1898, from loud (adj.) + speaker (n.).

vocalist (n.)

1610s, "speaker" (obsolete); 1817, "singer," as opposed to "instrumental performer;" from vocal + -ist.

rhetor (n.)

late 14c., rethor, "master or teacher of rhetoric," also "an ancient Greek orator," from Old French retor (Modern French rhéteur), from Latin rhetor (in Medieval Latin also rethor), from Greek rhētōr "speaker, master speaker, orator; artist of discourse; teacher of rhetoric" (see rhetoric (n.)).

sayyid

also sayid, Islamic title of honor, applied to descendants of Hussein, Muhammad's grandson, 1788, from Arabic sayyid "lord, chief," perhaps literally "speaker, spokesman."

wegotism (n.)

1797, from we + egotism; "an obtrusive and too frequent use of the first person plural by a speaker or writer" [OED].

sensationalist

1846 in philosophy, "believer or upholder of the doctrine of sensationalism;" 1868 as "a sensational writer or speaker;" from sensational + -ist. Related: Sensationalistic.

squawk (v.)

1821, probably of imitative origin (compare dialectal Italian squacco "small crested heron"). Related: Squawked; squawking. Squawk-box "loud-speaker" is from 1945.

prompt (v.)

mid-14c., prompten, "to incite to action, urge," from the adjective or from Latin promptus, past participle of promere "to bring forth," from pro "forward" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + emere "to take" (from PIE root *em- "to take, distribute").

The meaning "coach (someone), assist (a learner or speaker) by suggesting something forgotten or imperfectly learned or known" is from early 15c.; specifically in the theatrical sense of "to assist a speaker with lines" by 1670s. Related: Prompted; prompting.

debutant (n.)

1824, "male performer or speaker making his first public appearance," from French debutant, noun use of present participle of débuter "to make the first strike" (in billiards, etc.), from debut (see debut).

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