(a) The act of speaking; the production of language; withouten ~, without speaking; (b) the sound of a voice, intonation; (c) techinge of ~, oral instruction.

(a) The faculty of speech; the capacity or power to speak; ~ sineu, a lingual or 'vocal' nerve [Latin nervus vocalis], supposed to control the tongue and so the power of speech; never min ~ shal ben stille, my tongue will never be stilled, I will never be silenced; to tellen ne is mannes ~, man's tongue cannot tell (of sth.); (b) the ability to speak eloquently, articulateness; art of ~, oratory; (c) in fig. phrase with inf.: graunten ~ and space, to grant (sb.) means (to do sth.).

A manner of speaking, characteristic mode of speech; derk ~, a figurative manner of speaking; the commune worldes ~, the popular manner of speaking.

(a) That which is spoken, words; talk, speech, discourse; ?also, incantations, magic spells [quot. a1500 (a1400)]; fore ~ [see for(e-speche n.(2) (a)]; foul (ivel, wicked) ~; idel (vein, unnit) ~, idle chatter, vain speech; ben of litel (muche, muchel) ~, to talk little (much); haven in ~, talk about (sth.); haven in idel ~, take (God's name) in vain; haven the ~, maken (speken, spellen, spenden, tellen) ~, speak, talk; melen with ~, speak to (sb.), address; seien with short ~, say tersely or succinctly; sparen ~, say little; spellen in ~, speak (of sth.); spillen ~, waste words, speak unprofitably; (b) with pers.pron., gen., or of phrase: (someone's) talk or discourse, (someone's) words; grinden thin ~, to chew your words, speak haltingly; refreinen (sparen) youre ~, hold back your words, say little; (c) the Word of God, God's revelation to man; also, the promise of the Lord [2nd quot.]; ~ of the lord (holi); (d) reassuring words, comforting speech; togeder ~, comfort; (e) in personification; (f) gram. manere (part, partie) of ~, a part of speech; also, parties of speches; (g) in proverbs and prov. expressions.

(a) A particular speech, discourse, statement, remark, etc.; an utterance, argument; a saying, an expression; also, an epithet [quot. 1340]; ?a doctrine [quot. a1333]; derk speches, figurative utterances; in everi ~ and spel, in every remark, in everything said; driven speches, to argue cases, put forward arguments; (b) with pers.pron. or gen.: a particular speech, discourse, statement, remark, etc. (of someone); (c) a legal plea, complaint, or argument; also, fig. a suit or case [quots. c1250]; setten him a ~, to involve him in a lawsuit; setten his ~, settle his accounts; sheuen his ~, plead his case; (d) in proverbs.

(a) Written words, written discussion; also, a piece of writing, a treatise, text, narrative, etc.; a section of a written work; also, a topic or subject in a written work; mention of something in a text; fore ~ [see for(e-speche n.(1)]; (b) a manner of writing, literary style; elegance or eloquence in writing; a manere of ~, a manner of literary style; misti (secret) ~, allegorical or figurative style.

(a) Conversation, colloquy, verbal interchange; discussion between two or more persons; also, the opportunity to speak with someone [quots. a1150 & c1450]; a ~ while, for long enough to hold a conversation; at drihtenes ~, in conversation with the Lord; for never non ~, for never any discussion; withouten lengere (more, other) ~, without any more discussion; (b) ben in ~, to converse (about sth.); fallen in ~, fall into conversation, begin to converse; faren to the helendes ~, go and converse with the Savior; haven ~ of, haven (holden) ~ with, hold conversation with (sb., God), speak with; haven here speches in mene, converse together with her; of accord was not ~, there was no talk of accord; (c) common talk, common report; rumor, gossip; also, ?outcry [quot. a1325]; ~ and daliaunce, rumor and report, common talk; bafte ~, what one says behind another's back, slander; bi mannes ~, by common report, as men say; haven in ~, to talk about (sb.), spread reports about.

(a) A conference, meeting; ~ hous [cp. OE sprǣc-hūs], a room or building used for meetings or for receiving guests; ~ time, the time appointed for audiences; morn ~ [cp. OE morgen-sprǣc], a regular meeting of a guild, esp. one held on the morning of or the morning after the guild feast [see also morn n. 3.(c)]; morwe ~ [see morwe n. 2.(c)]; (b) a message, report; (c) an agreement a pledge.

(a) Language, form of speech; ~ of man (man-kinde), mannes ~, human language, human speech; (b) a language, tongue; a dialect; britoun(es ~, the language of the Britons, the Celtic tongue; the commune ~, the vernacular tongue; english (latin, etc.) ~, the English (Latin, etc.) language; english of northen ~, the English dialect used in northern Britain; ikinde (londes) ~, native tongue; ir-londes ~, the language of Ireland; saxon(es ~, the language of the Saxons, the English tongue; thede speches, native languages; speken on other ~, fig. to say (sth.) in another kind of language, say (sth.) in a different tone; (c) parlance; after the commune manere ~, in (oure) commune ~, commonly, in (our) everyday parlance; bi contrarie ~, by antiphrasis; (d) terminology; nomenclature; kindeli ~, correct or proper terminology; (e) ben in ~, to be rendered in translation; (f) heigh ~, an analogy, a correspondence [mistransl. of L analogia].

In comb.: fore ~, one who advocates or intercedes, an intercessor.