Rhetoric : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: Rhetoric	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for Rhetoric
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
rhetoric n using language effectively to please or persuade high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation; "the grandiosity of his prose"; "an excessive ornateness of language" Synonym(s): grandiosity, magniloquence, ornateness, grandiloquence, rhetoric loud and confused and empty talk; "mere rhetoric" Synonym(s): palaver, hot air, empty words, empty talk, rhetoric study of the technique and rules for using language effectively (especially in public speaking)
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Rhetoric \Rhet"oric\, n. [F. rh[82]torique, L. rhetorica, Gr. [?][?][?][?] (sc. [?][?][?]), fr. [?][?][?] rhetorical, oratorical, fr. [?][?][?] orator, rhetorician; perhaps akin to E. word; cf. [?][?][?] to say.] 1. The art of composition; especially, elegant composition in prose. 2. Oratory; the art of speaking with propriety, elegance, and force. --Locke. 3. Hence, artificial eloquence; fine language or declamation without conviction or earnest feeling. 4. Fig. : The power of persuasion or attraction; that which allures or charms. Sweet, silent rhetoric* of persuading eyes. --Daniel.