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debate

Pronunciation: /dɪˈbeɪt/

The English word “debate” has 9 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena.
  2. To fight.
  3. To engage in combat for; to strive for.
  4. To consider (to oneself), to think over, to attempt to decide

noun

  1. An argument, or discussion, usually in an ordered or formal setting, often with more than two people, generally ending with a vote or other decision.
  2. An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views.
  3. Discussion of opposing views.
  4. A type of literary composition, taking the form of a discussion or disputation, commonly found in the vernacular medieval poetry of many European countries, as well as in medieval Latin.
  5. Strife, discord.

Etymology

From Middle English debaten, from Old French debatre (“to fight, contend, debate, also literally to beat down”), from Romanic desbattere, from Latin dis- (“apart, in different directions”) + battuō (“to beat, to fence”).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.