Home › Glossary › Letter P

prate

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To talk foolishly or at length; to chatter—implying idle or empty speech, common in satirical character sketches.

Detailed Definition
“Prate” implies empty verbosity—fools prate, lovers prate. In satirical poetry, it critiques idle speech. The term’s sharpness suits mockery. Poets use it to explore silence’s value or deception’s noise, where prating reveals folly or masks intent, reinforcing themes of wisdom, restraint, and linguistic ethics in dramatic and moralizing verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
“He prated of glory while others bled,” in a critique of empty speech; In Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below... / Words without thoughts never to heaven go”—contrasting prate with prayer; “The courtier prated, the poet acted”; “Prate not of love you do not feel”; “Her prate concealed deep sorrow”; The fool’s prate often holds truth.
Additional Notes
“Prate” condemns idle talk as morally suspect; in wisdom literature or sermons-in-verse, “prating fools” contrast with silent sages, aligning speech volume with intellectual poverty.
Also Known As
chatter prattle babble
Skip to main content