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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ Orally spoken 🎤 Oral test
viva voce

viva voce

9.1
An exam taken by speaking at school or university
  • noun
  • /ˈvaɪvə ˈvoʊsi/
  • UK
translation icon : examen oral
  • The final assessment included both written and viva voce examinations.

Examples

  • She passed her viva voce for the PhD with flying colors.

  • During the viva voce, the professor asked challenging questions.

  • Candidates found the viva voce more challenging than the written test.

  • The student passed her viva voce with flying colors.

  • Candidates found the viva voce examination to be more interactive and difficult than the written test.

  • During her viva voce, she demonstrated her research findings effectively to the panel.

  • The professor explained that the viva voce is a vital part of the academic assessment process.

Synonyms

examination
vsviva voce
  • Formal
44 2.9

Formal questioning of a person in an official or academic setting

is specifically a spoken academic assessment rather than any formal questioning
oral
vsviva voce
6 4.4

A spoken exam where you must answer aloud

is used as an academic assessment rather than any simple response requirement
oral exam
vsviva voce
4 3.5

A test where students answer questions by speaking

is the general spoken academic assessment beyond format differences
oral examination
vsviva voce
1 3.7

An exam where you answer spoken questions to show what you know

is a spoken academic assessment not limited to strict Q&A format
viva
vsviva voce
  • UK
1 8.4

An oral exam at the end of a PhD to test your research

is used for academic assessments generally, not only final qualifications

How Formal

viva voce
  • UK
9.1
panel discussion
  • Formal
12 3.7
job interview
68 1.8
chat
  • Informal
312 1.0

Surface Forms

viva voce singular
viva voces plural

Morphology

viva + voce

The components point to a spoken/oral sense—'viva' relates to an oral examination and 'voce' (Latin/Italian for 'voice') signals speech—so the overall meaning is partially inferable as an oral exam. However, the phrase is a formal Latin borrowing and 'voce' is not a standard English word, so a typical B1 learner who only knows the individual English items may still fail to predict the exact academic sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Viva voce as a noun comes from the same Latin words viva ('living') and voce ('voice'). Because it names speaking aloud, it became used for an 'oral exam' where a student answers questions by voice.