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oratory |
4 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Oratory \Or"a*to*ry\, n.; pl {Oratories}. [OE. oratorie, fr L. oratorium fr oratorius of praying, of an orator: cf F. oratoire See {Orator}, {Oral}, and cf {Oratorio}.] A place of orisons, or prayer; especially, a chapel or small room set apart for private devotions. An oratory [temple] . . . in worship of Dian. --Chaucer. Do not omit thy prayers for want of a good oratory, or place to pray in --Jer. Taylor. {Fathers of the Oratory} (R. C. Ch.), a society of priests founded by St Philip Neri, living in community, and not bound by a special vow. The members are called also {oratorians}. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Oratory \Or"a*to*ry\, n. [L. oratoria (sc. ars) the oratorical art.] The art of an orator; the art of public speaking in an eloquent or effective manner; the exercise of rhetorical skill in oral discourse; eloquence. ``The oratory of Greece and Rome.'' --Milton. When a world of men Could not prevail with all their oratory. --Shak. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: oratory n : addressing an audience formally (usually a long and rhetorical address and often pompous); "he loved the sound of his own oratory" From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]: ORATORY, n. A conspiracy between speech and action to cheat the understanding. A tyranny tempered by stenography.
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