oral

[ awr-uhl ]

adjective

1. uttered by the mouth; spoken:

   oral testimony.

2. of, using, or transmitted by speech:

   oral methods of language teaching; oral traditions.

3. of, relating to, or involving the mouth:

   the oral cavity.

4. done, taken, or administered through the mouth:

   an oral dose of medicine.

5. Phonetics. articulated with none of the voice issuing through the nose, as the normal English vowels and the consonants b and v.
6. Psychoanalysis.
   1. of or relating to the earliest phase of infantile psychosexual development, lasting from birth to one year of age or longer, during which pleasure is obtained from eating, sucking, and biting.
   2. of or relating to the sublimation of feelings experienced during the oral stage of childhood:

      oral anxiety.

   3. of or relating to gratification by stimulation of the lips or membranes of the mouth, as in sucking, eating, or talking
7. Zoology. pertaining to that surface of polyps and marine animals that contains the mouth and tentacles.

noun

1. an oral examination in a school, college, or university, given especially to a candidate for an advanced degree.

oral

/ ˈɔːrəl; ˈɒrəl /

adjective

1. spoken or verbal

   an oral agreement

2. relating to, affecting, or for use in the mouth

   an oral thermometer

3. of or relating to the surface of an animal, such as a jellyfish, on which the mouth is situated
4. See parenteral
   denoting a drug to be taken by mouth Compare parenteral

   an oral contraceptive

5. of, relating to, or using spoken words
6. phonetics pronounced with the soft palate in a raised position completely closing the nasal cavity and allowing air to pass out only through the mouth
7. psychoanal
   1. relating to a stage of psychosexual development during which the child's interest is concentrated on the mouth
   2. denoting personality traits, such as dependence, selfishness, and aggression, resulting from fixation at the oral stage Compare anal genital phallic

noun

1. an examination in which the questions and answers are spoken rather than written

oral

/ ôr′əl /

1. Relating to or involving the mouth.

Usage Note

See verbal.

Derived Forms

• ˈorally, adverb

Other Words From

• o·ral·i·ty noun
• o·ral·ly adverb
• non·o·ral adjective
• post·o·ral adjective
• sub·o·ral adjective
• un·o·ral adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oral¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin ōr- (stem of ōs ) “mouth” (cognate with Sanskrit āsya ) + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of oral¹

C17: from Late Latin orālis, from Latin ōs face

Example Sentences

The Supreme Court’s first oral arguments in its new term will be held by remote teleconference because of the continued threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the justices announced Wednesday.

From Washington Post

Sabin’s so-called attenuated strains became the famous oral polio vaccine given on a sugar cube to billions of children.

From MIT Technology Review

There’s little doubt that in this process, the virus also spreads to the body’s oral cavity.

From Fortune

In a typical LAMP assay, a patient’s nasal or oral swab sample is mixed with enzymes and specially designed DNA fragments, then heated to 65° Celsius to copy the viral RNA to DNA and produce many more DNA copies.

From Science News

It’s transmitted through the fecal-oral route, meaning that humans consume food that has contaminated feces on it.

From Eater

My doctor put me on oral contraceptives to induce a period, figuring it would help build bone.

From The Daily Beast

The second major split between the capital and the court occurred over oral care.

From The Daily Beast

“He was attempting to force me into oral sex,” Ruehli told Philadelphia Magazine.

From The Daily Beast

Also, when Nelson died and Hugh Morrow did his own oral history project and talked to about 75 Rockefeller associates.

From The Daily Beast

The papers report that J.W. was too afraid to resist his command for her to perform oral sex on him.

From The Daily Beast

These oral inanities only served to make Lyn give me the benefit of a look of amused wonder.

From Project Gutenberg

But none of the orders given were more than oral, for the governor did not want them set on the records.

From Project Gutenberg

Oral evidence may be admitted to establish the location of monuments, and even hearsay evidence may be used for the purpose.

From Project Gutenberg

Oral evidence is admissible to prove the fraud or mistake; it must, however, be clear before a court will grant relief.

From Project Gutenberg

The improvement of land by the purchaser under an oral contract is an act which enables him to enforce the contract in equity.

From Project Gutenberg