Dictate

Definition of Dictate

Dic´tate

v. t.	1.	To tell or utter so that another may write down; to inspire; to compose; as, to dictate a letter to an amanuensis. [imp. & p. p. Dictated; p. pr. & vb. n. Dictating.] The mind which dictated the Iliad. - Wayland. Pages dictated by the Holy Spirit. - Macaulay.
	2.	To say; to utter; to communicate authoritatively; to deliver (a command) to a subordinate; to declare with authority; to impose; as, to dictate the terms of a treaty; a general dictates orders to his troops. Whatsoever is dictated to us by God must be believed. - Watts.
v. i.	1.	To speak as a superior; to command; to impose conditions (on). Who presumed to dictate to the sovereign. - Macaulay.
	2.	To compose literary works; to tell what shall be written or said by another. Sylla could not skill of letters, and therefore knew not how to dictate. - Bacon.
n.	1.	A statement delivered with authority; an order; a command; an authoritative rule, principle, or maxim; a prescription; as, listen to the dictates of your conscience; the dictates of the gospel. I credit what the Grecian dictates say. - Prior.

Related Words

a priori truth, act, adage, ana, analects, aphorism, apothegm, appoint, authorize, axiom, behest, bestride, bid, bidding, bill, brocard, brook no denial, bylaw, byword, call for, call on, call the signals, call upon, canon, catchword, caveat, charge, collected sayings, commandment, commission, compel, constrain, control, current saying, declare, decree, demand, dictation, dictum, direct, direct order, direction, distich, dominate, edict, enactment, enjoin, epigram, exact, expression, fiat, form, formality, formula, formulary, give an order, give the word, gnome, golden rule, golden saying, govern, guide, have the ascendancy, hest, imperative, impose, injunction, insist upon, institution, instruct, instruction, issue a command, issue a writ, jus, law, lay down, lead, leave no option, legislation, lex, make obligatory, manage, mandate, master, maxim, measure, moral, mot, motto, necessitate, oblige, oracle, ordain, order about, ordinance, ordonnance, phrase, pithy saying, play first fiddle, pleasure, postulate, precept, predominate, preponderate, prescribe, prescript, prescription, prevail, principium, principle, proclaim, promulgate, pronounce, pronouncement, proposition, proverb, proverbial saying, proverbs, regulation, require, requirement, rubric, rule, rule the roost, ruling, saw, say, say the word, say-so, saying, self-evident truth, sentence, sententious expression, set, settled principle, sloka, special order, standing order, statute, stock saying, sutra, take no denial, take the lead, teaching, tell, text, theorem, truism, truth, twist, ukase, universal truth, utter, verse, wear the pants, will, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying, witticism, word, word of command, words of wisdom

Browse

dicky
dicky-seat
dickybird
Diclinic
Diclinous
Dicoccous
dicot
dicotyl
dicotyledon
Dicotyledonae
Dicotyledones
dicotyledonous
Dicrotal
Dicrotic
Dicrotism
Dicta
Dictagraph
Dictamen
Dictamnus
Dictaphone
-Dictate-
Dictation
Dictator
Dictatorial
Dictatorian
Dictatorship
Dictatory
Dictatress
Dictatrix
Dictature
Diction
Dictionalrian
Dictionary
Dictograph
dictostylium
Dictum
Dictyogen
Dicyanide
Dicyemata
Dicyemid
Dicynodont

# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

© 2014 Delaflex, Inc.Dictionary Home | Privacy Policy