Wiktionary

audience

See also: audiencë

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English audience, from Middle French audience, from Old French audience, from Latin audientia, from present participle audiens (“hearing”), from verb audio (“I hear”). Doublet of audiencia.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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audience (plural audiences)

  1. A group of people within hearing; specifically, a large gathering of people listening to or watching a performance, speech, etc. [from 15th c.]
    We joined the audience just as the lights went down.
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 26:
      One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.”  He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.
    • 1952 February, H. C. Casserley, “Permanent Wayfarings”, in Railway Magazine, page 77:
      My audience to this not-too-easy operation was a small group of Scottish school lasses, who seemed (perhaps naturally) to find the proceedings somewhat mysterious, but at any rate amusing. I wished they would go away, but they didn't, so I had to get on with the job to the accompaniment of a background of giggles!
  2. (now rare) Hearing; the condition or state of hearing or listening. [from 14th c.]
  3. A widespread or nationwide viewing or listening public, as of a TV or radio network or program.
  5. A formal meeting with a state or religious dignitary. [from 16th c.]
    She managed to get an audience with the Pope.
    • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:
      Captain Anderson: Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience.
      Ambassador Udina: They were not happy about it. Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason.
  6. The readership of a book or other written publication. [from 19th c.]
    "Private Eye" has a small but faithful audience.
  7. A following. [from 20th c.]
    The opera singer expanded his audience by singing songs from the shows.
  8. (historical) An audiencia (judicial court of the Spanish empire), or the territory administered by it.

Usage notes

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  • In some lects, audience is used as a plurale tantum.
    The audience are getting restless.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Further reading

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French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French audience, borrowed from Latin audientia, from present participle audiēns (“hearing”), from verb audiō (“to hear”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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audience f (plural audiences)

  1. audience, viewer
    Synonyms: attention, entretien, séance
  2. (court) hearing

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Italian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English audience, from Latin audientia, derived from audiēns, present active participle of audiō (“to hear, listen to”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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audience f (uncountable)

  1. audience (widespread or nationwide viewing or listening public)
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References

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  1. ^ audience in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
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