peroration

noun

per·​o·​ra·​tion ˌper-ə-ˈrā-shən 

 also  ˌpər-

1

: the concluding part of a discourse and especially an oration

2

: a highly rhetorical speech

perorational

ˌper-ə-ˈrā-shnəl 

ˌpər-

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

Did you know?

As you may have already guessed, "peroration" is a relative of "oration." Both words ultimately derive from the Latin orare, meaning "to speak" or "to plead." The direct ancestor of "peroration" is the Latin verb perorare, meaning "to declaim at length or "to wind up an oration." "Perorare," in turn, comes from the combination of "per-" ("through") and "orare." The English language also has the verb "perorate," which means "to deliver a long or grandiloquent speech" or "to offer a concluding part of a speech."

Synonyms

• address
• declamation
• harangue
• oration
• speech
• talk

Examples of peroration in a Sentence

We sat through a lengthy peroration on the evils of the government's policies.

gave an eloquent peroration celebrating the nation's long tradition of religious tolerance and pluralism

Recent Examples on the Web

In a climactic peroration, Chaplin finally talks — and talks — in direct address, straight into the camera, delivering an impassioned anti-war, pro-tolerance message. —Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024

De Gaulle’s peroration got the scene only partly right. —Robert Zaretsky, Foreign Affairs, 23 Aug. 2019

And yet virtually nobody credited Putin with savvy for his initial peroration on Russia's ancient history. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024

In the second of the two movements, Noseda kept the rhythms and tempo largely straightforward, with little Romantic push-and-pull, creating an appealing, plain-spoken rhetoric that, nevertheless, left the music wanting peroration. —Matthew Guerrieri, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2020

Bezos rallies the public with passionate peroration and convincing command of detail. —Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2019

The president’s wintertime inconstancy was a matter of little concern to attendees in Dallas, who enthusiastically cheered Mr. Trump’s perorations on subjects ranging from North Korean peace talks to his vote tally in the Electoral College. —Alexander Burns, New York Times, 4 May 2018

Reagan said more in his average 35-minute remarks than Bill Clinton ever did in his average 75-minute perorations. —Andrew Malcolm, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Feb. 2018

Pastor Goff, after joking that all the famous visitors had eaten up his preaching time, brought the theme into his peroration. —Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 15 Aug. 2016

Word History

Etymology

Middle English peroracyon, from Latin peroration-, peroratio, from perorare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

peroration

noun

per·​ora·​tion

ˈper-ər-ˌā-shən,

ˈpər-

: the last part of a speech