utter (uter)

t. [ put out or forth; expel; emit. Who, having this inward overthrow in himself, was the more vexed that he could not utter the rage thereof upon his outward enemies. Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia, iii. He looked in vain for the sage Nicholas Vedder, with his broad face, double chin, and fair long pipe, uttering clouds of tobacco-smoke instead of idle speeches. Irving , Rip van Winkle. 2. To dispose of to the public or in the way of trade; specifically, to put into circulation, as money, notes, base coin, etc.: now used only in the latter specific sense. utterer The coinage of 1723 (which was never uttered in Ireland). Lecky, Eng. in 18th Cent., vii. 3. To give public expre ion to; disclose; publish; pronounce; speak: reflexively, to give utterance to, as one's thoughts; expre one's self. But noght-for-that so moc he of drede had, That vnne thes myght outre wurde ne say. Rom . of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2816. These very words I've heard him utter to his son-in-law. Shak., Hen. VIII., i. 2. 136. Stay, sister, I would utter to you a busine , But I am very loath. Webster, Devil's Law-Case, iii. 3. In reason's ear they all rejoice, And utter forth a glorious voice. Add is on, Ode, Spectator, No. 465. 4. In law, to deliver, or offer to deliver, as an unlawful thing for an unlawful purpose.=Syn. 3. Utter, Enunciate, Pronounce, Deliver, expre , broach. Utter is the most general of the italicized words; it applies to any audible voice: as, to utter a sigh, a shriek, an exclamation. The rest apply to words. Enunciate expre es careful utterance, meaning that each sound or word is made completely audible: as, enunciate your words distinctly. Pronounce applies to units of speech: as, he cannot pronounce the letter "r"; he pronounces his words indistinctly; he pronounced an oration at the grave; he pronounced the sentence of death: the last two of these imply a solemn and formal utterance Deliver refers to the whole speech, including only utterance, but whatever there may be of help from skilful management of the voice, gesture, etc.: as, "a poor speech well delivered is generally more effective than a good speech badly deliv ered." Deliver still has, however, sometimes its old sense of simply uttering or making known in any way.