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  1. viva voce love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adv. By word of mouth: a report submitted viva voce; a viva voce examination.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. By word of mouth; orally. It is sometimes used attributively: as, a viva voce vote.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. By word of mouth.
  2. adv. By word of mouth.
  3. n. An oral examination.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. By word of mouth; orally.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adv. orally.
  2. n. an examination conducted by spoken communication
  3. adj. expressed orally

Etymologies

  1. From Latin vīvā ("living") and vocē ("voice") (ablative of vōx). (Wiktionary)
  2. Medieval Latin vīvā vōce, with the living voice : Latin vīvā, feminine ablative sing. of vīvus, living + Latin vōce, ablative of vōx, voice. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “The practice of the Church in the earliest ages, as shown by the ancient custom, going back to Apostolic times, of giving the catechumens (katechoumenoi from katechein, viva voce instruere) a verbal instruction in the articles of faith and of directing them, shortly before baptism, to make a public recitation of the Apostles ”

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 6: Fathers of the Church-Gregory XI

  • “But even the meal was a long and stiff viva voce examination in Servian.”

    High Albania

  • “He was turning this into an all-too-public viva voce exam.”

    The Beekeeper's Apprentice

  • “By July 28 he was home again in time for an examiners 'meeting at the London University the next day, and a viva voce in physiology on the 4th August, before going to Scotland to serve on the Fishery Commission.”

    The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley

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synonyms (1)

Words with the same meaning

  1. orally

equivalents (1)

Other words for ‘viva voce’

  1. spoken

hypernyms (3)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. examination
  1. test
  1. exam

reverse dictionary (6)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. viva voce
  1. aye
  1. election
  1. vote
  1. acclamation
  1. oral

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‘viva voce’ has been looked up 1864 times, loved by 1 person, added to 9 lists, and is not a valid Scrabble word.