viva voce

adverb

vi·va vo·ce | \ ˌvī-və-ˈvō-(ˌ)sē

How to pronounce viva voce (audio)

or ˌvē-və-ˈvō-(ˌ)chā

How to pronounce viva voce (audio)

\

Definition of viva voce

(Entry 1 of 3)

: by word of mouth : orally

viva voce

adjective

Definition of viva voce (Entry 2 of 3)

: expressed or conducted by means of speech : orally sense 1

viva voce

noun

Definition of viva voce (Entry 3 of 3)

: an examination conducted viva voce

— called also viva

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about viva voce

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for viva voce

Synonyms: Adjective

nuncupative, oral, spoken, unwritten, verbal, word-of-mouth

Antonyms: Adjective

Did You Know?

Adverb

Viva voce derives from Medieval Latin, where it translates literally as "with the living voice." In English it occurs in contexts, such as voting, in which something is done aloud for all to hear. Votes in Congress, for example, are done viva voce - members announce their votes by calling out "yea" or "nay." While the phrase was first used in English as an adverb in the 16th century, it can also appear as an adjective (as in "a viva voce examination") or a noun (where it refers to an examination conducted orally).

Examples of viva voce in a Sentence

Adjective

the students are required to write two papers and take a viva voce examination

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about viva voce

Listen to Our Podcast about viva voce

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near viva voce

vive la différence

Statistics for viva voce

Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for viva voce

The first known use of viva voce was in 1563

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for viva voce

viva voce

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of viva voce

(Entry 1 of 2)

: spoken rather than written

viva voce

noun

English Language Learners Definition of viva voce (Entry 2 of 2)

British : an oral examination given at a British university

See the full definition for viva voce in the English Language Learners Dictionary

viva voce

adverb or adjective

vi·va vo·ce | \ ˌvī-və-ˈvō-sē, ˌvē-və-ˈvō-ˌchā\

Legal Definition of viva voce

: through speech : by word of mouth testify viva voce

Comments on viva voce

What made you want to look up viva voce? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

commemorate

to mark by some ceremony or observation

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Which is a synonym of fuliginous?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ