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to perorate

to perorate

9.9
To end a formal speech with a long, strong summary
  • verb
  • /ˌpɛrəˈreɪt/
  • Formal
translation icon : perorar
  • "I'm flabbergasted," he perorated, "that you have managed to make a career as a philosopher."

Examples

  • After an hour of speeches, the politician finally perorated, summarizing his vision for the future.

  • Perhaps De Gaulle would not have agreed with Valery that "everybody can write such things." Montaigne does not perorate, but he conveys the gist of Churchill's famous apothegm, "Never have so many owed so much to so few."

    Academic text (1991)
  • During the graduation ceremony, the speaker began to perorate about the importance of education and perseverance.

  • In his closing remarks, the professor decided to perorate on the key points of his lecture.

Synonyms

to make a speech
vsto perorate
  • Formal
35 2.8

Give a formal talk to people at a public or special event

is instead often a grand concluding summary not only a ceremonial talk
to deliver a speech
vsto perorate
  • Formal
8 3.3

To give a formal talk to an audience

is usually a more elaborate final summary rather than a routine formal address
to hold forth
vsto perorate
5 7.4

Talk for a long time about a subject, like giving a lecture

is more about ending with a grand summary than sustained authoritative talk
to discourse
vsto perorate
  • Formal
1 7.8

To speak or write for a long time about a topic

is narrower, meaning a formal grand closing rather than general long treatment
to speechify
vsto perorate
1 9.4

To give a long formal speech that sounds boring and self-important

is similar but focuses on a grand closing summary rather than mere pomposity
to palaver
vsto perorate
1 9.4

To talk for a long time about unimportant things

is usually a formal grand closing not an idle or trivial long talk
to descant
vsto perorate
  • Formal
9.4

To talk for a long time about a subject in detail

is more a formal ending with a grand summary than merely detailed exposition

How Grand

to declaim
  • Formal
4 8.2
to perorate
  • Formal
9.9
to conclude
  • Formal
50 3.9
to summarize
  • US
90 3.0

Surface Forms

perorate infinitive
perorated past
perorated past participle
perorating present participle
perorates third person singular

Morphology

perorate = orate (semi-transparent) = per + orate

Built from 'per-' + 'orate' so the element 'orate' (to speak) is clear, but the specialized sense of concluding or delivering a grand summary is not fully predictable from the prefix for many learners.

Etymology

Perorate comes from Latin parts per- ('through' or 'to the end') and orare ('to speak'), and it shares the same root as oration and orator. So, to perorate is to bring a speech to a formal, often grand, ending or summary.