dictation

noun

dic·​ta·​tion dik-ˈtā-shən 

1

a

: prescription

b

: arbitrary command

2

a(1)

: the act or manner of uttering words to be transcribed

(2)

: material that is dictated or transcribed

b(1)

: the performing of music to be reproduced by a student

(2)

: music so reproduced

Examples of dictation in a Sentence

He used a tape recorder for dictation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Make sure your phone isn’t too big for your hand and opt for hands-free tools when possible, such as voice dictation or a phone call instead of texting. —Heather Kelly, Washington Post, 11 July 2024

Our thought bubble: This decision suggests Congress ought to be more prescriptive in its dictations to EPA. —Nick Sobczyk, Axios, 10 July 2024

Totalitarian art is the lifeless and mindless outcome of that dictation. —Kanan Makiya, Foreign Affairs, 14 Apr. 2011

Apple’s chips since 2017 have included some version of the Neural Engine, though to date, those have mostly been used to enhance and categorize photos, perform optical character recognition, enable offline dictation, and do other oddities. —Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 7 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin dictātiōn-, dictātiō "uttering of material to be transcribed, command" (Latin, "dictated draft"), from Latin dictāre "to say repeatedly, say aloud words to be transcribed by another, issue as an order" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at dictate entry 1

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 2a(2)

Phrases Containing dictation

• take dictation

Kids Definition

dictation

noun

dic·​ta·​tion dik-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act or process of giving commands

2

a

: the dictating of words

write from dictation

b

: something that is dictated or is taken down from dictation