utterance

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)An act of, or the process of, uttering.

   “at length gave utterance to these words”

   “July 1857, The Imagination in Mathematics", in The North American Review Mathematics and Poetry are … the utterance of the same power of imagination, only that in the one case it is addressed to the head, in the other, to the heart.”

2. (countable, uncountable)An instance of that act or process: especially, something spoken (e.g., syllables, words, phrases); (especially linguistics) any such thing either spoken or written.

   “And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.”

   “To know how one should express oneself in saying or judging that there really are falsehoods without getting caught up in contradiction by such an utterance: that's extremely difficult, Theaetetus.”

3. (countable, uncountable)The ability to speak.

   “Mrs. Weston kissed her with tears of joy; and when she could find utterance, assured her, that this protestation had done her more good than any thing else in the world could do.”

4. (countable, uncountable)A manner of speaking.

   “He has a good utterance.”

   “They [...] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

   “[...] O, how frail / To that large utterance of the early Gods!”

5. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)A sale made by offering to the public.

   “The clothemakers[…] had great profite and good utterance of the sayd cloth”

6. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)An act of putting in circulation.

   “the utterance of false coin, or of forged notes”

7. (archaic, literary)The utmost extremity, especially of a fight; bodily harm or death.

   “Among champions and such as strive for the masterie in feats of activitie, we count those for their adversaries and concurrents onely, who professe and practise the same kinde of game or exercise; for those that goe to it with fists and buffers, are commonly friends good enough to such sword-fencers as fight at sharpe to the utterance, and well-willers to the champions called Pancratiastae.”

   “To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to th' utterance.”

   “Besides, For the most part, the Combate was continued or ended at the discretion of the Prince, or his Substitutes, which also did most commonly part the Duellists, and not suffer them to proceed to the utterance, but pronounced them both good and approved Cavaliers upon the place, which was a token of their prudent affection to preserve noble spirits for better uses.”