Etymograph

English

oration

Oration comes from Latin ōrātiō, and goes back to ōrō ‘to orate’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrō1‘to orate’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrātiō1
  3. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598oration1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English oration
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare: “[…] there is ſuch confuſion in my powers, /…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrōWiktionary, English oration‘to orate’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrātiōWiktionary, English oration
  3. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598orationWiktionary, English oration. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare: “[…] there is ſuch confuſion in my powers, /…”

Linked words

through Latin ōrō ‘to orate’

oracle, inexorable, orator, 11 more

through Latin ōrātiō

prose, 2 more

Today it means

noun A formal, often ceremonial speech.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “oration”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin ōrō / oration

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