ˈɔ:rəl adj. & n. --adj. 1 by
word of
mouth;
spoken;
not written (the oral tradition). 2
done or taken by
the mouth (oral contraceptive). 3 of the mouth. 4 Psychol. of or
concerning a supposed
stage of
infant emotional and sexual development, in
which the mouth is of
central interest. --n. colloq. a spoken
examination, test, etc. øoral
sex sexual
activity in which the genitals of
one partner are stimulated by the mouth of the
other. oral
society a society
that has not reached the stage of
literacy. øøorally adv. [LL oralis f. L os oris mouth]