Words: The Power Within
Lesson 25
Speaking Out
CLAIM (CLAM)
Claim
 Claim
 Dictionary definition – (v) to declare as one’s
own; to state to be true; (n) a demand for
something as one’s rightful own
 While Wolfgang claimed that his story was
true, the rest of us had hard time believing it.
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CLAIM (CLAM)
Clamor
 Clam + or (state or condition)
 Literal definition – state of shouting
 Dictionary definition – (n) a loud,
constant outcry; a forceful expression
of protest or discontent; (v) to shout
loudly, angrily, and noisily
 Everyone opened their doors to see
what was going on after the clamor in
the hallway.
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CLAIM (CLAM) = SHOUT, CRY OUT
Proclaim
 Pro (forth) + claim
 Literal definition – shout forth
 Dictionary definition – (v) to announce
publicly and officially; to declare
 The president appeared on every
television station to proclaim victory
and officially end the war.
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DICT
Abdicate
 Ab (away) + dict + ate (cause, make)
 Literal definition – to make words
away
 Dictionary definition – (v) to give up
(yield, surrender) one’s throne, power,
or rights; to renounce
 We were shocked when King
Wolfgang abdicated his throne.
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DICT
Contradict
 Contra (against) + dict
 Literal definition – speak against
 Dictionary definition – (v) to say the
opposite is true; to deny; to dispute
 Why do you always have to
contradict what I say? No wonder we
can never agree!
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DICT = SPEAK, SAY, WORD
Diction
 Dict + ion (act of)
 Literal definition – the act of speaking
 Dictionary definition – (n) the choice
and use of words in speaking or
writing
 We studied usage and faulty diction
in English class this year.
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LOG (LOGUE)
Dialogue
 Dia (across) + logue
 Literal definition – speak across
 Dictionary definition – (n) a conversation
between two or more people in a book,
movie, or play; a discussion between two
or more people to explore a topic or to
solve a problem
 The dialogue in the movie was awful,
but the action scenes made up for it.
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LOG (LOGUE)
Eulogy
 Eu (good) + log + y (result of)
 Literal definition – result of good words
 Dictionary definition – (n) a speech or
piece of writing that praises the life
and character of someone, usually
after death
 Wolfgang was asked to give the
eulogy at his friend’s funeral.
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LOG (LOGUE) = SPEAK, WORD
Logo
 Log
 Dictionary definition – (n) a symbol or
design that represents a group or
organization
 Apple changed its old logo to one that
is more modern.
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NOUNC (NUN)
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Denounce
De (down) + nounc
Literal definition – speak down
Dictionary definition – (v) literally, to
speak or talk down about something; to
disapprove of something openly or
publicly; to condemn; to declare as
wrong or evil
Wolfgang stepped to the podium and
declared, “I denounce these
proceedings as unfair!”
NOUNC (NUN)
Enunciate
 E (out) + nun + ate (cause, make)
 Literal definition – cause to speak out
 Dictionary definition – (v) literally, to
speak out; to say clearly; to articulate;
to express clearly and definitely
 It is important to properly enunciate
each syllable so that you can be easily
understood.
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NOUNC (NUN) = SPEAK, TELL
Renounce
 Re (back) + nounc
 Literal definition – speak back
 Dictionary definition – (v) to reject or
disown a right, a claim, or property
 Wolfgang renounced his inheritance
even though it would have made him
insanely wealthy.
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ORA (ORAT)
Adoration
 Ad (to) + orat + ion (act of)
 Literal definition – act of speaking to
 Dictionary definition – (n) love and
deep respect for someone or
something; worship; an extreme liking
 His adoration of Star Wars was both
awesome and disturbing at the same
time.
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ORA (ORAT)
Oral
 Ora + al (related to)
 Literal definition – related to speaking
 Dictionary definition – (adj) spoken
rather than written; pertaining to the
mouth
 In order to get rid of the virus, the oral
medication had to be taken twice a
day for two weeks.
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ORA (ORAT) = SPEAK, MOUTH
Orator
 Orat + or (one who)
 Literal definition – one who speaks
 Dictionary definition – (n) a person
skilled in public speaking
 Mark Twain was a brilliant orator and
would travel the country to speak to
sold out auditoriums.
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