locution

Borrowed from Latin locūtiō, locūtiōnem (“speech”), from loquor (“speak”). Compare the French cognate locution.

• IPA^(key): /loʊ̯ˈkju.ʃn̩/

locution (countable and uncountable, plural locutions)

1. A phrase or expression connected to an individual or a group of individuals through repeated usage.

   The television show host is widely recognized for his all-too-common locutions.

   • 1996, David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest:

     Another way fathers impact sons is that sons, one their voices have changed in puberty, invariably answer the telephone with the same locutions and intonations of their fathers.

2. The use of a word or phrase in an unusual or specialized way.
   • 1992, Judith Jarvis Thomson, The Realm of Rights (page 299)

     So it cannot be supposed that promisings differ from other word-givings in that a word-giver makes a promise only if he or she uses the locution "I promise".

3. Style of discourse or usage, or any particular utterance in such style.

   informal locutions

4. (religion) A supernatural revelation where a religious figure, statue or icon speaks, usually to a saint.

• locution in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• locution in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• locution at OneLook Dictionary Search

From Latin locūtiō, locūtiōnem (“speech”), from loqui (“speak”).

• IPA^(key): /lɔ.ky.sjɔ̃/

• audio (la locution)

  (file)

locution f (plural locutions)

1. phrase, locution
2. (linguistics) locution (a group of words with the grammatical value of a single word)[1]

• syntagme