Recitations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The practice of orally delivering text, often memorized, includes performances of literature, prayers, or academic material before an audience
2. The act of presenting written materials from memory, typically poetry or speeches, as a way to engage an audience or convey meaning expressively
3. The act of orally delivering a memorized passage, such as poetry or a speech, to an audience

Etymology: "Recitation" carries a hidden summons. It comes from Latin "recitare," which combines "re-" (back, again) with "citare," meaning to call, summon, or set in motion. The same root gives English "cite," which once meant calling a person to court, and "incite," to rouse someone forward. To recite was to call words back out of memory and into the air. The Latin verb meant to read aloud or recount. It reached English through Old French, where "recitacion" was already a noun for the act of reading publicly. English took that noun over with its original sense largely intact, so the modern meaning of performing from memory still reflects the Roman idea of bringing a text forward before listeners.

Synonyms: performances, readings, recitals, narrations, deliveries