spokesman English · revision 39672

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1519, W. Horman, Vulgaria}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * UK: /ˈspəʊksmən/^(Wiktionary)

+ * US: /ˈspoʊksmən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an irregular compound [[af|en|spoke|man|t1=spoken|t2=man]]:^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988)^(SOED 2002) ''spoke'', an old past participle of [[speak]], was used in place of the verb itself.^(Skeat 1911)^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) The ''-s-'' may be the possessive ending,^(MWU 2024)^(Dictionary.com 2016) or the word may have been formed on the pattern of [[craftsman]] and similar words;^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988)^(ODE 2010) Skeat compares [[huntsman]] and [[sportsman]].^(Skeat 1911) Middle English had an earlier compound [[m|enm|spekeman|t=spokesman]], recorded before 1325 and as a surname from the late 12th century.^(MED)^(Etymonline)^(Stratmann 1891)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ An interpreter: 1519, in William Horman's ''Vulgaria''; this sense is rare and was obsolete after 1561.^(OED 2026)^(HTOED)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The lasting sense, a person who speaks for or on behalf of others, is recorded from before 1540;^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988) Shakespeare used it in ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'',^(Skeat 1911)^(Johnson 1755) and the Bible of 1611 has God tell Moses that Aaron "shall be thy spokesman unto the people".^(Johnson 1755) Johnson (1755) defined the word simply as "one who speaks for another".^(Johnson 1755) In later use it came to mean especially someone chosen to put forward the views of a body, party or organization.^(OED 2026) From 1663 it could also mean a public speaker, especially one addressing an assembly,^(OED 2026)^(HTOED) and later, from 1828, in Carlyle, the chief representative or voice of a movement or period.^(OED 2026) ''Spokeswoman'' is recorded from 1654,^(Barnhart 1988) and ''spokesperson'', coined in American English to avoid naming the speaker's sex, from 1972.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late 12th century – the earlier Middle English ''spekeman'', as a surname.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1519 – an interpreter (obsolete).^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * a1540 – one who speaks on behalf of others.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1607 – the speaker or chairman of a body (obsolete).^(OED 2026)

+ * 1654 – ''spokeswoman''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1663 – a public speaker.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1828 – the chief representative of a movement or period.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1972 – ''spokesperson''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person, especially a man, who speaks on behalf of a [[government]], company or other group, and puts its views to the public: ''A police spokesman confirmed the arrest.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # A leading [[advocate]] or voice of a movement, cause or generation.^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[spokesmanship]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[speak]]

+ * [[speech]]

+ * [[spokeswoman]]

+ * [[spokesperson]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}