diction

From late Middle English diccion (“something said; a word or phrase”) (an obsolete sense in Modern English), borrowed directly from Latin dictiō (“a saying, speaking, uttering”) or from Old French dicïon (“word”) (Anglo-Norman dictyoun), from Late Latin dictiō (“word”), both from dīcō (“to say, to talk”) +‎ -tiō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show, to point out”).^[1][2][3]

The modern senses of “choice and use of words” and “clarity of word choice” were likely influenced by additional senses of dictiō.^[4]

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪkʃən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkʃən

diction (countable and uncountable, plural dictions)

1. Choice and use of words, especially with regard to effective communication.
2. The effectiveness and degree of clarity of word choice and expression.

   His poor diction meant that most of the audience didn't really understand the key points of the presentation.

3. (theater) Enunciation, pronunciation.

• “diction”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “diction”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Borrowed from Latin dictiōnem, from dictus, past participle of dicere (“to speak”), from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show, point out”).

• IPA^(key): /dik.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

diction f (plural dictions)

1. diction (clarity of word choice)

• “diction”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.