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Glite Dictionary
⚖️ Speech in court 🎤 Formal speech
allocution

allocution

1 9.9
A formal speech in court by a judge or defendant before sentencing
  • noun
  • /ˌæl.əˈkjuː.ʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : allocución
  • Only in court today, at his allocution, Gregg said Barbara was seated with her back to him.

Examples

  • He made public his displeasure in his Christmas allocution.

    Academic text (1998)

  • - Does the county accept the allocution? - We do, Your Honor.

    Knock (2023)

  • You will attend 10 anger-management sessions... and you will make an allocution and an apology.

    The Comedian (2016)

  • In his allocution, the defendant explained his actions and asked for leniency from the judge.

  • During the allocution, the lawyer presented a heartfelt plea for the defendant's character and circumstances.

  • The judge listened carefully to the allocution before making a final decision on the sentencing.

Synonyms

speech
vsallocution
  • Formal
∞ 1.8

A formal talk given to an audience to inform or persuade

is used mainly in legal settings by judges or defendants
declamation
vsallocution
  • Formal
1 8.8

A formal, practiced speech given with strong feeling

is used in court settings and lacks theatrical emotion or performance

Antonyms

informalism
7.2

A style that is relaxed and not strict about rules

How Formal

allocution
  • Formal
1 9.9
to address
  • Formal
236 4.4
speech
  • Formal
∞ 1.8
statement
  • Formal
∞ 1.3

Surface Forms

allocution singular
allocutions plural

Morphology

allocution = locution (semi-transparent) = al + locution

Same structural formation as the other sense: a learned prefix 'al-' + 'locution' yields a specialized legal/judicial 'address', which is related but not fully transparent for average learners.

Etymology

Allocution comes from Latin parts ad- 'to' and loqui 'to speak', which gives the sense of 'speaking to' a group. In law, an allocution is the formal speech a judge or defendant makes to the court before a sentence, and that original idea of 'speaking to' explains the legal meaning.