Adjacent Words

Lecture definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LEC'TURE, n. [L. lectura, from lego, to read.]
1. A discourse read or pronounced on any subject; usually, a formal or methodical discourse, intended for instruction; as a lecture on morals, philosophy, rhetoric, or theology.
2. A reading; the act or practice of reading; as in the lecture of Holy Scripture. [Little used.]
3. A magisterial reprimand; a formal reproof.
4. A recitation; rehearsal of a lesson.
LEC'TURE, v.i.
1. To read or deliver a formal discourse.
2. To practice reading lectures for instruction. We say, the professor lectures on geometry, or on chimistry.
LEC'TURE, v.t.
1. To instruct by discourses.
2. To instruct dogmatically or authoritatively; to reprove; as, to lecture one for his faults.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a speech that is open to the public; "he attended a lecture on telecommunications" [syn: lecture, public lecture, talk]
2: a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" [syn: lecture, speech, talking to]
3: teaching by giving a discourse on some subject (typically to a class) [syn: lecture, lecturing] v
1: deliver a lecture or talk; "She will talk at Rutgers next week"; "Did you ever lecture at Harvard?" [syn: lecture, talk]
2: censure severely or angrily; "The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car"; "The deputy ragged the Prime Minister"; "The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup" [syn: call on the carpet, take to task, rebuke, rag, trounce, reproof, lecture, reprimand, jaw, dress down, call down, scold, chide, berate, bawl out, remonstrate, chew out, chew up, have words, lambaste, lambast]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, act of reading, from Late Latin lectura, from Latin lectus, past participle of legere Date: 15th century 1. a discourse given before an audience or class especially for instruction 2. a formal reproof • lectureship noun II. verb (lectured; lecturing) Date: circa 1590 intransitive verb to deliver a lecture or a course of lectures transitive verb 1. to deliver a lecture to 2. to reprove formally • lecturer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a discourse giving information about a subject to a class or other audience. 2 a long serious speech esp. as a scolding or reprimand. --v. 1 intr. (often foll. by on) deliver a lecture or lectures. 2 tr. talk seriously or reprovingly to (a person). 3 tr. instruct or entertain (a class or other audience) by a lecture. Etymology: ME f. OF lecture or med.L lectura f. L (as LECTOR)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lecture Lec"ture (-t[-u]r; 135), n. [F. lecture, LL. lectura, fr. L. legere, lectum, to read. See Legend.] 1. The act of reading; as, the lecture of Holy Scripture. [Obs.] 2. A discourse on any subject; especially, a formal or methodical discourse, intended for instruction; sometimes, a familiar discourse, in contrast with a sermon. 3. A reprimand or formal reproof from one having authority. 4. (Eng. Universities) A rehearsal of a lesson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lecture Lec"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lectured (-t[-u]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. Lecturing.] 1. To read or deliver a lecture to. 2. To reprove formally and with authority.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lecture Lec"ture, v. i. To deliver a lecture or lectures.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(lectures, lecturing, lectured) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A lecture is a talk someone gives in order to teach people about a particular subject, usually at a university or college. ...a series of lectures by Professor Eric Robinson... N-COUNT 2. If you lecture on a particular subject, you give a lecture or a series of lectures about it. She then invited him to Atlanta to lecture on the history of art... She has danced, choreographed, lectured and taught all over the world... VERB: V on/in n, V 3. If someone lectures you about something, they criticize you or tell you how they think you should behave. He used to lecture me about getting too much sun... Chuck would lecture me, telling me to get a haircut... She was no longer interrogating but lecturing. VERB: V n about/on n, V n, V, also V n to-inf • Lecture is also a noun. Our captain gave us a stern lecture on safety. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Discourse, prelection. 2. Censure, lesson, lecturing, reprimand, reproof, scolding. II. v. a. 1. Deliver a lecture to. 2. Reprove, reprimand, scold, chide, rate.

Foolish Dictionary

An entertainment at which it costs but little to look intelligent.

Moby Thesaurus

address, admonish, admonishment, admonition, assignment, berate, berating, bring to book, call to account, castigation, censure, chalk talk, chastise, chastisement, chew out, chide, chiding, correct, correction, criticism, declaim, declamation, deliver a lecture, diatribe, discourse, disquisition, dissertation, dress down, dressing-down, exercise, explain, exposit, exposition, expound, fulminate against, harangue, have words with, hold forth, homework, homily, instruction, lecture-demonstration, lesson, moral, moral lesson, morality, moralization, moralize, object lesson, objurgate, objurgation, orate, paper, philippic, point a moral, pontificate, preach, preachification, preachify, preaching, preachment, prelect, prelection, rail at, rate, rating, read a lesson, read a sermon, rebuke, recital, recitation, religious discourse, remonstration, reprehend, reprehension, reprimand, reproach, reprobation, reproof, reproval, reprove, scold, scolding, screed, sermon, sermonette, sermonize, set down, set straight, set task, skull session, spank, spanking, speech, straighten out, take down, take to task, talk, task, teaching, tell off, tongue-lash, tongue-lashing, travelogue, treatise, upbraid, upbraiding, warn, wig