utterance
/ˈʌtərəns/
noun
Origin
Middle English
utter — to express or put forth
Overview
Meaning Now
- A spoken word, statement, or vocal sound.
- The action of saying or expressing something aloud.
Literal older meaning
the act of putting something out (from the mouth)
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Middle English → English
Earliest form
utteraunce
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word stems from the notion of 'putting something out' into the public sphere. Historically, 'to utter' was related to 'outer' (the outside), implying that an utterance is the process of moving something from one's internal thoughts to the external world.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*ūt
“out”
Adverbial root denoting movement away from.
- Middle English
utteren
“to put out, to disclose”
Derived from 'utter' (adjective/adverb) meaning 'outer'.
- Late Middle English
utteraunce
“the act of publishing or speaking”
Suffixation of -ance to the verb.
- Modern English
utterance
“a spoken statement”
Standardized spelling and usage.
Connections
Word parts
utter
root
to express or say
ance
suffix
process or state
Related across languages
Dutch
uiteren
to express
German
äußern
to express, to utter
Related words
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Related to utterance
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.