ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dictation

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US //dɪkˈteɪʃən// UK //dɪktˈeɪʃən// dic·ta·tion

n. the act of speaking words for someone else to write down. It is also the process of writing down what someone else is saying.

n. the act of speaking words for another person to transcribe, or the resulting written record of such a process. Often used in educational contexts to test spelling and listening skills.


SIMPLE

The teacher gave a dictation to test our spelling.

CONTEXTUAL

During the legal proceedings, the witness provided a dictation of the events that occurred on the night of the accident.

COMPLEX

While digital voice recognition has reduced the need for manual transcription, dictation remains a vital tool in medical and legal fields for ensuring the accuracy of patient records and case notes.

Synonyms
Origin

From Late Latin dictātiō, noun of action from dictātus, the perfect passive participle of dictō. By surface analysis, dictate + -ion.

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