Speel

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To deliver a lengthy or prepared talk, often with the aim of persuading or entertaining an audience
2. To recite or present a speech, pitch, or extended monologue in a flowing manner
3. To speak at considerable length, typically in a rehearsed or eloquent way to make a point

Etymology: In Early Scots, "speill" meant to climb, and "spelare" named an acrobat or tumbler. Both probably come from Middle Dutch "spelen," which could mean to play, walk a tight rope, or perform tricks, so the climbing sense may have grown out of acrobatic skill. Its deeper ancestry is uncertain. Some sources link it to Old English "spilian," meaning to play, which would make it a continuation of an older English verb. A quite different sense appears in English dialect, where the form means talk or patter. That usage is a shortening of "bonspiel," a Scottish word for a curling tournament, and it is related to "spiel."