speech
n. C / Un. a formal talk that a person gives to a group of people. It can also mean the ability to speak or the way someone talks.
n. a formal address or discourse delivered to an audience. Also refers to the faculty or act of expressing thoughts through articulated sounds.
The president gave a long speech about the new law.
She spent all weekend writing her wedding speech to make sure it was perfect for the guests.
The candidate's victory speech focused on national unity and economic recovery, aiming to bridge the divide between opposing political factions.
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.
Countable when referring to a specific talk given to an audience; uncountable when referring to the general faculty of speaking.