late 13c., "with a loud voice;" c. 1300, "audibly, not whispered;" a contraction of on loude; see a- (1) + loud.

late 15c., recitacion, "account, description, act of detailing, recital," from Old French récitation (14c.) and directly from Latin recitationem (nominative recitatio) "public reading, a reading aloud of judicial decrees or literary works," noun of action from past-participle stem of recitare "read out, read aloud" (see recite).

Meaning "act of repeating aloud what has been committed to memory" is from 1620s; that of "repetition of a prepared lesson" by a pupil or students is by 1770, American English.

Middle English reding, from Old English ræding, "a reading, the act or process of reading" either silent or aloud, also "that which is read, a passage or lesson," a verbal noun to go with read (v.).

The meaning "interpretation, act of interpreting" is from mid-14c. (in reference to dreams). The meaning "a form of a passage of text" is from 1550s; that of "a public event featuring reading aloud" is from 1787.

Reading-desk, one adapted for use in reading, is by 1703; reading-glass is from 1660s. Reading-room, one furnished with newspapers, periodicals, etc., is from 1759.

"style of musical declamation intermediate between speech and singing, form of song resembling declamation," 1650s, from Italian recitativo, from recitato, past participle of recitare, from Latin recitare "read out, read aloud" (see recite). From 1640s as an adjective. The Italian form of the word was used in English from 1610s.

c. 1300, "written works, literature;" late 14c., "learning from books," from Medieval Latin lectura "a reading," from Latin lectus, past participle of legere "to read," originally "to gather, collect, pick out, choose" (compare elect), from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak (to 'pick out words')." Thus to read is, perhaps, etymologically, to "pick out words."

The sense of "a reading aloud, action of reading aloud" (either in divine worship or to students) in English emerged early 15c. That of "a discourse on a given subject before an audience for purposes of instruction" is from 1530s. The meaning "admonitory speech given with a view to reproof or correction" is from c. 1600.

Lecture-room is attested from 1793; lecture-hall from 1832. In Greek the words still had the double senses relating to "to speak" and "to gather" (apologos "a story, tale, fable;" elaiologos "an olive gatherer").

"howling," as of a wolf or dog, 1590s, from Latin ululationem (nominative ululatio) "a howling or wailing," noun of action from past-participle stem of ululare "to howl, yell, shriek, wail, lament loudly," from a reduplicated imitative root (compare Greek ololyzein "to cry aloud," Sanskrit ululih "a howling," Lithuanian uliuoti "to howl," Gaelic uileliugh "wail of lamentation," Old English ule "owl").

1590s, "to practice dictation, say aloud for another to write down," from Latin dictatus, past participle of dictare "say often, prescribe," frequentative of dicere "to say, speak" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly"). Sense of "to command, declare, or prescribe with authority" is 1620s, as is the meaning "be the determining cause or motive of." Related: Dictated; dictates; dictating.

"expurgate by eliminating indelicate or offensive passages," 1836, from the name of Thomas Bowdler, English editor who in 1818 published a notorious expurgated Shakespeare, in which, according to his frontispiece, "nothing is added to the original text; but those words and expressions omitted which cannot with propriety be read aloud in a family." Related: Bowdlerized; bowdlerizing; bowdlerization.

early 15c., "agreeing, corresponding, harmonious," from Old French consonant (13c.) and directly from Latin consonantem (nominative consonans) "sounding together, agreeing," present participle of consonare "to sound together, sound aloud," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + sonare "to sound, make a noise" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound").

Of music, c. 1600; of words, 1640s. Related: Consonantly.

Old English rædere "one who counsels; person who reads aloud to others; lector; scholar; diviner, interpreter," agent noun from rædan (see read (v.)) in its various senses. Compare Dutch rader "adviser," Old High German ratari "counselor." The Old English fem. form was rædistre. Meaning "a reading book for schools" is by 1789.