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Glite Dictionary
speech day

speech day

3.4
A school event when people give speeches and students get prizes
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : día de discursos
  • The school held its speech day last Friday, celebrating the achievements of outstanding students.

Examples

  • Every year, speech day is a highlight for students.

  • The school celebrated speech day with great enthusiasm.

  • On speech day, the headteacher gave an inspiring talk before presenting awards.

  • Parents and alumni attended the annual speech day ceremony to support their children.

  • The school celebrated its annual speech day with inspiring talks and awards for outstanding students.

  • Every year, the students eagerly prepare for speech day, when they present speeches to their peers and teachers.

  • At speech day, the principal recognized the academic achievements of students with various prizes.

Surface Forms

speech day singular
speech days plural

Morphology

speech + day

The phrase is transparently built from 'speech' (an oral address) + 'day' (a day set aside for an event), so a B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer it denotes a day when speeches are delivered (and often awards given). The compound follows the common 'X day' pattern found across languages, making the meaning predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Speech day comes from the clear image of a school speech given on a special day, when students stand on a stage to speak and collect prizes. So the phrase means an annual school event for 'talks' and 'awards'.