Orally

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈɔːɹəli/

Definitions

1. Spoken aloud using the mouth, or administered through the mouth rather than by injection or other means
2. Articulated through speech by employing the mouth, or delivered by way of consumption rather than through alternative methods like injection or topical application
3. Conveyed through vocal expression using the mouth, or taken in as food or medicine rather than by other means such as inhalation or injection

Etymology: "Orally" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "oral," meaning spoken rather than written, with the adverbial ending "-ly" added. The adjective "oral" came into English from Latin "os" (genitive "oris"), meaning "mouth," through the Latin adjective "oralis," so the word is ultimately built on the same root as the body part you speak with. The suffix did most of the historical work. The ending traces back through Old English "-līce," a form that turned adjectives into descriptions of manner, and it has been attached to native English adjectives for well over a thousand years. Its spelling shifted to "-ly" in Middle English, and that same ending now sits on countless words, from "quickly" to "orally."

Synonyms: verbally, aloud

Antonyms: silently