peroration

P3E1R1O1R1A1T1I1O1N1
/pɛɹəˈɹeɪʃən/

noun

The concluding section of a discourse, either written or oral, in which the orator or writer sums up and commends his topic to his audience, particularly as used in the technical sense of a component of ancient Roman oratorical delivery.

RareScrabble 12

Meanings

nounperoration (countable and uncountable, plural perorations)

plural perorations

  1. countableuncountableThe concluding section of a discourse, either written or oral, in which the orator or writer sums up and commends his topic to his audience, particularly as used in the technical sense of a component of ancient Roman oratorical delivery.

    This passage is virtually the peroration of the Ethics; the few paragraphs that follow are concerned with the transition to politics.

    1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.20
    2 more examples

    The young man achieved perfect timing, for the last word of his peroration coincided with the muffled clap of the doors closing, after having launched the coffin onto the rails of a subterranean railway.

    1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 480

    His peroration, to which, he [JD Vance] said, he had given much thought, would feature, for his mic drop, a pearl of wisdom from “the great prophet and statesman” Richard Milhous Nixon.

    2025 April 26, Simon Schama, “The war on knowledge”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1
  2. countableuncountableA discourse or rhetorical argument in general.

    Nephew, what means this passionate discourse, This peroration with such circumstance?

    1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]

Origin

  1. Latin-ātiō
  2. Latinperōrō“to speak at length, to conclude a speech”
  3. Englishperoration

From Latin perōrō (“to speak at length, to conclude a speech”) (from per- (“very”) + ōrō (“to speak, to orate”) (English orate)) + -ation (“action (nominalizer)”) (from Latin -ātiō).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἐπίλογος
  • ἐπίλογος (epílogos)conclusion of a discourse
Bulgarian резюме
  • резюме (rezjume)conclusion of a discourse
French péroraison
  • péroraisonconclusion of a discourse
German Zusammenfassung, Redeschluss
  • Zusammenfassungconclusion of a discourse
  • Redeschlussconclusion of a discourse
Swedish sammanfattning
  • sammanfattningconclusion of a discourse

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with peroration

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Cite this entry
APA

peroration. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peroration

MLA

“peroration.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peroration. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “peroration,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peroration.

Source: peroration on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.