Speaking aloud for someone else to write down or record. Giving orders or commands with authority, often in a controlling manner.
From Latin dictatus, past participle of dictare meaning 'to say often' or 'to prescribe,' which is a frequentative form of dicere 'to say.' The word evolved from neutral instruction-giving to more authoritarian connotations by the 16th century.
Before typewriters and voice recorders, dictation was the primary way busy executives and authors created documents - they would pace around their offices speaking while secretaries frantically scribbled shorthand. This practice shaped the rhythm and style of much 19th-century prose, as writers composed orally rather than on paper.
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