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oral
The definition of oral is spoken or said, or something which is related to the mouth.
(adjective)- An example of oral used as an adjective is the phrase oral presentation which means a presentation delivered by speaking.
- An example of oral used as an adjective is the phrase oral disease which means an illness in the mouth.
Oral is defined as an exam given and taken by speaking.
(noun)An example of an oral is a test requiring a student to speak a different language.
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See oral in Webster's New World College Dictionary
adjective
- uttered by the mouth; spoken
- of speech; using speech
- of, involving, or administered through the mouth
- of or having to do with sexual stimulation of the genitals by the mouth or tongue
- Phonet. having mouth resonance only
- Psychoanalysis
- designating or of the earliest stage of psychosexual development, in which interest centers around sucking, feeding, and biting
- designating or of such traits in the adult as friendliness, generosity, and optimism or aggressiveness and pessimism, regarded as unconscious psychic residues of that stage
- Zool. on or of the same side as the mouth
Origin: < L os (gen. oris), the mouth < IE base *ōus-, mouth, edge > Sans -ḥ, mouth, ON ōss, mouth of a stream
noun
an examination with spoken questions and answers, as at a college: often used in pl.
Related Forms:
- orally adverb
See oral in American Heritage Dictionary 4
adjective
- Spoken rather than written. See Usage Note at verbal.
- Of or relating to the mouth: oral surgery.
- Used in or taken through the mouth: an oral thermometer; an oral vaccine.
- Consisting of or using speech: oral instruction.
- Linguistics Articulated through the mouth only, with the nasal passages closed.
- Psychology Of or relating to the first stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory, from birth to about 18 months, during which the mouth is the chief focus of exploration and pleasure. The oral stage is followed by the anal stage.
An academic examination in which questions and answers are spoken rather than written. Often used in the plural.
Origin:
Origin: Late Latin ōrālis
Origin: , from Latin ōs, ōr-, mouth; see ōs- in Indo-European roots
.Related Forms:
- oˈral·ly adverb
A city of northwest Kazakhstan on the Ural River south-southwest of Samara, Russia. Founded by Cossacks c. 1622, it is a processing and manufacturing center. Population: 196,000.
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