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orature

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orature¹

  • /ˈɒɹətʃə/ UK
  • /ˈɔː-/ UK
  • /ˈɔɹət͡ʃɚ/ US
  • /ˈɔɹəˌt͡ʃʊ(ə)ɹ/ US
  • /-ˌt(j)ʊ-/ US

Where it comes from

Blend of oral + literature, said to have been coined by the Ugandan linguist and literary theorist Pio Zirimu (died 1977): see the 1972 quotation.

noun oratures

  1. countable, uncountable The oral equivalent of literature: a collection of traditional folk songs, stories, etc., that is communicated orally rather than in writing. It is because of this that Mr Pio Zirimu, a Ugandan linguist and literary critic, has coined the word ‘orature’.

    Similar: oral literature

orature²

  • /ˈɒɹətʃə/ UK
  • /ˈɔː-/ UK
  • /ˈɔɹət͡ʃɚ/ US
  • /ˈɔɹəˌt͡ʃʊ(ə)ɹ/ US
  • /-ˌt(j)ʊ-/ US

Where it comes from

From Scots oratur, orature, a variant of oratour, oritour, from Middle English oritore, a variant of ōrātōrī, ōrātōrīe (“room or other place for prayer or private study; chapel, church, temple; shrine”), from Old French oratur, orator, oratore, oratori, oratour (modern French oratoire (“oratory; oratorical”)), from Latin ōrātōrium, from ōrātōrius (“oratorical”), from ōrātor (“orator, speaker”) (from ōrō (“to deliver a speech, orate”), from ōs (“mouth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óh₃s (“mouth”)) + -ius (suffix forming adjectives from nouns).

noun oratures

  1. Scotland, alternative, archaic Variant of oratour (“a small room or chapel used for prayer and worship, or for private study; an oratory”). This bishop was ane wyse and godlie man, and answered the king in this maner, as after follows, saying, “Sir, I beseech your Grace, that ye take a little meat to refresh you, and I will passe to my orature and pray to God for you, and the commonwealth of this realme and cuntrie.[”]

Translations

Every language

noun oral equivalent of literature

Françaisorature, oraliture
DeutschOralliteratur

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Cite this
MLA

"orature." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/orature. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

orature. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/orature

Chicago

"orature." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/orature.

BibTeX
@misc{orature_2026,
  title = {orature},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/orature},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}