pronounce

pronounce Definition

pro·nounce (prə no̵uns′, prō-)

transitive verb -·nounced′, -·nounc′·ing

to say or declare officially, solemnly, or with ceremony to pronounce a couple man and wife
to announce or declare (someone or something) to be as specified to pronounce a man guilty
1. to articulate (a sound or word); utter the sounds of
2. to articulate (a word or syllable) in the accepted manner how do you pronounce your family name?
3. to indicate the pronunciation of (a word) with symbols

Etymology: ME pronouncen < OFr pronuncier < L pronuntiare < pro-, before + nuntiare, to announce < nuntius, messenger: see pro- & nuncio

intransitive verb

pronounce Related Forms

pro·nounce′·able adjective pro·nounc′er noun

pronounce Synonyms

pronounce Usage Examples

Object

interlocutor: The defenders stated a general plea to relevancy, but by an interlocutor pronounced after debate the Sheriff allowed a proof before answer.
benediction: The service concluded with the hymn " The King of Love " and the Benediction pronounced by the Bishop.
decree: Once the court has pronounced the decree nisi, a formal court order is prepared.
curse: In fact, it pronounces a curse over us: " CONDEMNED TO DIE " .
judgment: Lindsay J pronounced judgment on these aspects on 7 November 2003.
sentence: Then, finally it pronounced a death sentence on John.

Preposition: on

matter: It is Babylonian as everyone competent to pronounce on the matter knows.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

extinct: He did not appear to be alive, but witness sent for Dr. STEWART, who pronounced life extinct.

Adjective complement

dead: The man, who has not been named, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall.

Modifying Another Word

identically: This word is pronounced identically with the much less common word rite.
differently: Within one hundred years vowel were pronounced differently which caused different spelling for various words, which were not used in official documents.
correctly: Then I came to " enigma " which I pronounced correctly.
particularly: This trend is particularly pronounced in Prague, where only 13 small theaters remain, down from 57 in 1990.
especially: The risk was especially pronounced for younger coffee drinkers.
sufficiently: However, these associations are not sufficiently pronounced to warrant dose adjustment.

Used with why or when

when: In the Coxless class, the contrast between May standards and Michaelmas was highly pronounced when the Pembroke coxless four took to the water.

Infinitive complement

rhyme: One example is name, which in Chaucer's time was pronounced to rhyme with calm.

Preposition: in

favor: The editorial board too pronounced emphatically in favor of this.
region: The behavior is particularly pronounced in shallow regions, such as on the continental shelf in the Bay of Bengal.
way: The combination " ough " can be pronounced in nine different ways.

pronounce Quotes

Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him.

—Bible (Old Testament)

They spell it Vinci and pronounce it Vinchy; foreigners always spell better than they pronounce.

—Twain, Mark pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens

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