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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary rhet·o·ric
\\ˈre-tə-rik\\ noun ETYMOLOGY Middle English rethorik, from Anglo-French rethorique, from Latin rhetorica, from Greek rhētorikē, literally, art of oratory, from feminine of rhētorikos of an orator, from rhētōr orator, rhetorician, from eirein to say, speak — more at word DATE 14th century 1. the art of speaking or writing effectively: as
a. the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times
b. the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion2.
a. skill in the effective use of speech
b. a type or mode of language or speech; also : insincere or grandiloquent language3. verbal communication : discourse rhetoric
c.1300, from O.Fr. rethorique, from L. rhetorice, from Gk. rhetorike techne "art of an orator," from rhetor (gen. rhetoros) "orator," related to rhema "word," lit. "that which is spoken," from PIE *wre-tor-, from base *were- "to speak" (cf. O.E. word, L. verbum, Gk. eirein "to say;" see verb). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 rhetoricrhet·oric / 5retErik / noun [U]1. ( formal, often disapproving) speech or writing that is intended to influence people, but that is not completely honest or sincere 华而不实的言语；花言巧语:
the rhetoric of political slogans 政治口号的虚华辞藻
empty rhetoric 空洞的花言巧语2. ( formal) the skill of using language in speech or writing in a special way that influences or entertains people 修辞技巧；修辞
SYN eloquence , oratory Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishrhetoric
noun ADJ. empty, mere Her speech was just empty rhetoric. | militant, powerful, radical | government, official | nationalist, patriotic, political, revolutionary, sectarian VERB + RHETORIC adopt, engage in, resort to, use He was quite prepared to use militant rhetoric in attacking his opponents. PREP. behind/beneath the ~ Behind all the rhetoric, his relations with the army are dangerously poised. | despite the ~ Little has changed, despite the rhetoric about reform. | ~ about/concerning/on official rhetoric on the virtues of large families Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged rhet·o·ric
\ˈred.ərik, -etə-\ noun
( -s) Etymology: Middle English rethorik, from Middle French rethorique, modification of Latin rhetorica, from Greek rhētorikē, from feminine of rhētorikos rhetorical, oratorical, from rhētor-, rhētōr orator + -ikos -ic — more at word 1. : the art of expressive speech or discourse; specifically
a. : the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by ancient critics (as Aristotle and Quintilian) and interpreted by classical scholars for application to discourse in the vernacular
b. : the art or practice of writing or speaking as means of communication or persuasion often with special concern for literary effect
< freshman composition is a course in rhetoric — H.C.Bowersox >
< the cultivation of grammar and rhetoric — John Dewey >2.
a. : skill in the effective use of speech : eloquence
b.
(1) : artificial elegance of language : discourse without conviction or earnest feeling
(2) : inflated language : verbosity , bombast
< that passage, sir, is not empty rhetoric — Virginia Woolf >
< the enemy of rhetoric and every kind of artifice and virtuosity — Philip Rahv >
< the mocking rhetoric upon a tombstone — J.C.Powys >
c. : style of language
< his rhetoric would not have been commended at Cambridge >
< large, and sometimes loose, exalted simplicities of his rhetoric — Times Literary Supplement >3.
a. : verbal communication : discourse , speech
< the temptation to establish peace by rhetoric — W.W.Van Kirk >
< a rhetoric of fantastic slang — Edmund Wilson >
b. : the verbal content of a composition (as a poem) or a body of literature
< the deep hold that the symbols of free speech and other civil liberties have in American rhetoric — Max Lerner >
c. : the verbal elements employed in or characteristic of discourse relating to a particular subject or area
< made effective use of the rhetoric of liberalism — Sidney Hook >4. : persuasive or moving power
< mastery of expressive musical rhetoric — Carl Parrish & J.F.Ohl >
< sweet, silent rhetoric of persuading eyes — Samuel Daniel >5. : a treatise on rhetoric; especially : a textbook on literary composition < the authors of freshman rhetorics — C.W.Shumaker >
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