Dictate
WordNet
noun
(1) A guiding principle
"The dictates of reason"
(2) An authoritative rule
verb
(3) Say out loud for the purpose of recording
"He dictated a report to his secretary"
(4) Issue commands or orders for
(5) Rule as a dictator
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From , perfect passive participle of , frequentative of .
Noun
Verb
- To order, command, control.
- 2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge University Press (ISBN 0-521-78512-X), page 409,
- Trademark Owners will nevertheless try to dictate how their marks are to be represented, but dictionary publishers with spine can resist such pressure.
- 2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge University Press (ISBN 0-521-78512-X), page 409,
- To speak in order for someone to write down the words.
- She is dictating a letter to a stenographer.
- The French teacher dictated a passage from Victor Hugo.