Added 9 October 2026
dictate
/ˈdɪkˌteɪt/ noun
In Latin: dictō First recorded: 1581 Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dictate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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An order or command.
I must obey the dictates of my conscience.
verb
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To order, command, control.
Etiquette dictates that wedding invitations should be acknowledged in writing.
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To speak in order for someone to write down the words.
She is dictating a letter to a stenographer.
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To determine or decisively affect.
We issue replacements as necessity dictates.
Origin
First attested in 1581; borrowed from Latin dictātum (“a thing said, something dictated”), substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of dictātus, the perfect passive participle of dictō (“pronounce or declare repeatedly; dictate”), frequentative of dīcō (“say, speak”). Doublet of diktat.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)