Revised 2010 More entries for "rhetoric"
rhetoricnoun1
Factsheet
What does the noun rhetoric mean?
There are 13 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun rhetoric, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
rhetoric has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
How common is the noun rhetoric?
About 10occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 2.3 |
| 1760 | 4.1 |
| 1770 | 4.4 |
| 1780 | 5.3 |
| 1790 | 4.3 |
| 1800 | 5.1 |
| 1810 | 5.2 |
| 1820 | 4.3 |
| 1830 | 3.6 |
| 1840 | 3.9 |
| 1850 | 4.4 |
| 1860 | 4.6 |
| 1870 | 4.9 |
| 1880 | 5.1 |
| 1890 | 6.1 |
| 1900 | 5.3 |
| 1910 | 4.3 |
| 1920 | 5.2 |
| 1930 | 5.2 |
| 1940 | 5.3 |
| 1950 | 5.8 |
| 1960 | 7.8 |
| 1970 | 9.5 |
| 1980 | 11 |
| 1990 | 16 |
| 2000 | 15 |
| 2010 | 15 |
How is the noun rhetoric pronounced?
British English
/ˈrɛtərɪk/
RET-uh-rick
U.S. English
/ˈrɛdərɪk/
RED-uhr-ik
Where does the noun rhetoric come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun rhetoric is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for rhetoric is from around 1330, in the Seven Sages.
rhetoric is of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: French rethorik; Latin rhētoricē.
In other dictionaries
Nearby entries
- rhesus baby, n.1928–
- rhesus factor, n.1941–
- rhesus negative, adj.1942–
- rhesus positive, adj.1942–
- rhetic, adj.1953–
- rhetically, adv.1953–
- rhetor, n.c1390–
- rhetorculist, n.1607–09
- rhetorial, adj.1521–
- rhetorian, n. & adj.a1393–
- rhetoric, n.¹c1330–
- rhetoric, n.²a1382–1450
- rhetoric, adj.c1450–
- rhetorical, adj.1447–
- rhetorical accent, n.1728–
- rhetorical analysis, n.a1628–
- rhetorical figure, n.1565–
- rhetorically, adv.1447–
- rhetoricalness, n.1670–
- rhetorical theory, n.?1800–
- rhetorical trope, n.1603–
Meaning & use
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Etymology
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for rhetoric, n.¹
rhetoric, n.1 was revised in June 2010
rhetoric, n.1 was last modified in July 2023
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into rhetoric, n.1 in July 2023.
Earlier versions of rhetoric, n.1 were published in:
OED First Edition (1908)
OED Second Edition (1989)
Cite
Chicago
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “”, . <>
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MLA9
“”. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, , <>
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