verbal

Etymology

From Old French verbal, from Late Latin verbalis (“belonging to a word”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvɜː.bəl/, [ˈvɜː.bɫ̩], enPR: vûrʹ-bəl
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvɝ.bəl/, [ˈvɜ˞.bɫ̩], enPR: vûrʹ-bəl

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)bəl
• Hyphenation: ver‧bal

Adjective

verbal (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to words.

   Synonym: wordish

2. Concerned with the words, rather than the substance of a text.
3. Consisting of words only.

   Antonyms: non-verbal, substantive

   • Mayhew

     We subjoin an engraving […] which will give the reader a far better notion of the structure than any verbal description could convey to the mind.

4. Expressly spoken rather than written.

   a verbal contract

   a verbal testimony

5. (grammar) Derived from, or having the nature of a verb.

   Synonym: rhematic

6. (grammar) Used to form a verb.
7. Capable of speech.

   Antonym: preverbal

   • 2005, Avril V. Brereton, Bruce J. Tonge, Pre-schoolers with autism (page 55)

     How do these language problems affect the behaviour of verbal children?

8. Word for word.

   Synonyms: literal, verbatim

   a verbal translation

9. (obsolete) Abounding with words; verbose.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Noun

verbal (plural verbals)

1. (grammar) A verb form which does not function as a predicate, or a word derived from a verb. In English, infinitives, participles and gerunds are verbals.

Verb

verbal (third-person singular simple present verbals, present participle verballing, simple past and past participle verballed)

1. (transitive, Britain, Australia) To induce into fabricating a confession.
   • 1982, John A. Andrews, Human Rights in Criminal Procedure: A Comparative Study, →ISBN, BRILL, page 128:

     "The problem of 'verballing' is unlikely to disappear, whatever the legal status of the person detained."

   • 2001, Chris Cunneen, Conflict, Politics and Crime: Aboriginal Communities and the Police, →ISBN, Allen & Unwin, page 116:

     "Condren had always claimed that he was assaulted and verballed by police over the murder he had supposedly confessed to committing."

   • 2004, Jeremy Gans & Andrew Palmer, Australian Principles of Evidence, →ISBN, Routledge Cavendish, page 504:

     "Moreover, given the risk of verballing, it is by no means apparent that it is in the interests of justice that the prosecution have the benefit of admissions that are made on occasions when recordings are impracticable."

Anagrams

• Varble, Vrabel

Etymology

From Late Latin verbalis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /vəɾˈbal/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /bərˈbal/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /veɾˈbal/

Adjective

verbal (masculine and feminine plural verbals)

1. verbal (of or relating to words)
2. verbal (spoken rather than written)
3. (grammar) verbal (relating to verbs)

Further reading

• “verbal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin verbālis. Synchronically analysable as verbe +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛʁ.bal/
• Homophones: verbale, verbales

Adjective

verbal (feminine singular verbale, masculine plural verbaux, feminine plural verbales)

1. verbal

Further reading

• “verbal” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛʁˈbaːl/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

verbal (not comparable)

1. verbal

Etymology

From Late Latin verbalis.

Adjective

verbal m, f (plural verbais, comparable)

1. verbal, oral

Etymology

From Late Latin verbalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /berˈbal/, [berˈβal]

Adjective

verbal (plural verbales)

1. verbal (of or relating to words)
2. verbal (spoken rather than written)
3. (grammar) verbal (relating to verbs)

Noun

verbal m, f (plural verbales)

1. (grammar) verbal

Further reading

• “verbal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Etymology

From Old Norse *viðribarðr (from berja.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²ˈʋɪːɾˌbɑːɽ/, /²ˈʋɪːɾˌbɒːɽ/

Adjective

verbal

1. weather-beaten