oratory

plural oratories · alternative Oratory

1. A private chapel or prayer room.First known use 14th c.

   I will retire to my oratory, and pray to the blessed Virgin to inspire you with her holy counsels […].

   1764, Horace Walpole, “chapter II”, in The Castle of Otranto

2. A Roman Catholic chapel; a building for public or private worship that is not a parish church.

   By public oratories are meant those attached to monasteries, convents, seminaries, etc., having a public entrance by which the faithful have access to them.

   1876, Michael Comerford, The Book of Holy Indulgences […] , page 29

3. specificallyA Catholic church belonging to the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri.

   They had been given the old Oscott College premises as a temporary home, but were content there until Oratories could be established in the cities. St Philip Neri had specifically intended that the Oratory should be a city-based form of communal and missionary life.

   2006, Judith F. Champ, William Bernard Ullathorne, 1806–1889: A Different Kind of Monk, →ISBN, page 168

1. uncountableThe art of public speaking, especially in a formal, expressive, or forceful manner.First known use 16th c.

   Synonyms: public speaking

2. uncountableEloquence; the quality of artistry and persuasiveness in speech or writing.

   Rising from humble farmhand to community organizer to a leader of the national Fatah party, Mr. Barghouti became known for his soaring oratory and common touch.

   2024 April 1, Taylor Luck, Fatima AbdulKarim, “Palestinian Mandela? Marwan Barghouti, imprisoned preacher of unity.”, in The Christian Science Monitor

1. CatholicismThe Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, a society of priests and lay brothers founded in 1575.

plural Oratories

1. Alternative letter-case form of oratory: a church belonging to the Oratory.