Speak

Speak, spēk, v.i. to utter words or articulate sounds: to say: to talk: to converse: to sound: to give expression by any means, to intimate, to hint.—v.t. to pronounce: to converse in: to address: to declare: to express by signs:—pa.t. spoke or spāke; pa.p. spō′ken.—adj. Speak′able, capable of being spoken: (Milt.) having the power of speech.—ns. Speak′-eas′y (U.S.), an illicit dram-shop, shebeen; Speak′er, one who speaks or proclaims: the person who presides in a deliberative or legislative body, as the House of Commons; Speak′ership, the office of Speaker; Speak′ing, the act of expressing ideas in words: discourse.—adj. seeming to speak: natural: used to assist the voice.—adv. Speak′ingly.—ns. Speak′ing-trum′pet, an instrument for enabling the sound of the voice to be conveyed to a greater distance; Speak′ing-tube, a tube communicating from one room to another for speaking through; Speak′ing-voice, the kind of voice used in speaking.—Speak a ship, to hail and speak to some one on board her; Speak fair, to address one in conciliatory terms; Speak for, to speak on behalf of: to be a proof of: to bespeak, engage; Speaking terms, a relationship between two persons not extending beyond the courtesy of verbal salutation, &c.; Speak of, to talk about: to mention, or to be worth mentioning; Speak one's mind, to say frankly what one thinks; Speak out, to assert boldly or loudly; Speak to, to reprove: to attest, testify to; Speak up, to speak out; Speak well for, to witness favourably to.—So to speak, as one might put it, as it were. [A.S. specan (for sprecan); Dut. spreken, Ger. sprechen.]