speech

noun

address delivered to an audience
production of a spoken language

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /spiːt͡ʃ/ / /spɛːt͡ʃ/

noun

Etymology: From Middle English speche, from Old English spǣċ, sprǣċ (“speech, discourse, language”), from Proto-West Germanic *sprāku (“speech, language”), from Proto-Indo-European *spereg-, *spreg- (“to make a sound”). Cognate with Dutch spraak (“speech”), German Sprache (“language, speech”). More at speak.

The ability to speak; the faculty of uttering words or articulate sounds and vocalizations to communicate.
“He had a bad speech impediment.”
“After the accident she lost her speech.”
The act of speaking, a certain style of it.
“It was hard to hear his speech over the noise.”
“Her speech was soft and lilting.”
A formal session of speaking, especially a long oral message given publicly by one person.
“The candidate made some ambitious promises in his campaign speech.”
“The constant design of both these orators, in all their speeches, was to drive some one particular point.”
A dialect, vernacular, or (dated) a language.
“For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel.”
“The speche of Englande is a base speche to other noble speches, as Italion, Castylion, and Frenche; howbeit the speche of Englande of late dayes is amended.”
Language used orally, rather than in writing.
“This word is mostly used in speech.”
An utterance that is quoted; see direct speech, reported speech
Public talk, news, gossip, rumour.
“The duke[…]did of me demand / What was the speech among the Londoners / Concerning the French journey.”

verb

To make (a speech); to harangue.
“I'll speech against peace while Dismal's my name, / And be a true whig, while I'm Not-in-game.”
“So to Speeching he did go, / And like a Man of Senſe, / He certainly ſaid Ay or No,”