ORAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does oral mean? 

• ORAL (noun)
  The noun ORAL has 1 sense:

1. an examination conducted by spoken communication

  Familiarity information: ORAL used as a noun is very rare.

• ORAL (adjective)
  The adjective ORAL has 4 senses:

1. using speech rather than writing

2. of or relating to or affecting or for use in the mouth

3. of or involving the mouth or mouth region or the surface on which the mouth is located

4. a stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is concentrated in the mouth; fixation at this stage is said to result in dependence, selfishness, and aggression

  Familiarity information: ORAL used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ORAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An examination conducted by spoken communication

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

oral; oral exam; oral examination; viva; viva voce

Hypernyms ("oral" is a kind of...):

exam; examination; test (a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge)

Derivation:

oral (using speech rather than writing)

• ORAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Using speech rather than writing

Synonyms:

oral; unwritten

Context example:

an oral agreement

Similar:

spoken (uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination)

Derivation:

oral (an examination conducted by spoken communication)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of or relating to or affecting or for use in the mouth

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

an oral vaccine

Pertainym:

mouth (the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Of or involving the mouth or mouth region or the surface on which the mouth is located

Synonyms:

buccal; oral

Context example:

a buccal gland

Domain category:

anatomy; general anatomy (the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals)

Antonym:

aboral (opposite to or away from the mouth)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is concentrated in the mouth; fixation at this stage is said to result in dependence, selfishness, and aggression

Domain category:

analysis; depth psychology; psychoanalysis (a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders; based on the theories of Sigmund Freud)

Antonym:

anal (a stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is concentrated on the anal region; fixation at this stage is said to result in orderliness, meanness, stubbornness, compulsiveness, etc.)

 Context examples 

Two weeks after infection, some animals received an oral glutamine supplement and others did not.

(Glutamine suppresses herpes in mice and guinea pigs, National Institutes of Health)

The researchers used mass-spectrometry-based methods they had developed previously for a different study in which they evaluated oral DNA damage caused by alcohol consumption.

(Using Electronic Cigarettes Can Damage DNA, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Recent studies have shown that an experimental treatment called oral immunotherapy can reduce allergies to some foods, including peanut.

(Preschoolers benefit from peanut allergy therapy, NIH)

They’re often treated with a 7–10 day course of oral antibiotics.

(Developing novel ear infection treatments, NIH)

A. parvulum is a commensal organism of the oral cavity and associated with periodontal health.

(Atopobium parvulum, NCI Thesaurus)

Upon oral administration, X-396 binds to and inhibits ALK kinase, ALK fusion proteins and ALK point mutation variants.

(ALK Inhibitor X-396, NCI Thesaurus)

A. segnis is a commensal organism of the oral flora and is rarely pathogenic.

(Aggregatibacter segnis, NCI Thesaurus)

Upon intratumoral administration of INXN-2001 and oral administration of INXN-1001, INXN-1001 is able to induce expression of IL-12 from INXN-2001.

(Adenovirus-mediated Human Interleukin-12 INXN-2001 Plus Activator Ligand INXN-1001, NCI Thesaurus)

Upon oral administration, MCT1 inhibitor AZD3965 binds to MCT1 and prevents the transport of lactate into and out of the cell.

(Monocarboxylate Transporter 1 Inhibitor AZD3965, NCI Thesaurus)

IRF1 regulates gene transcription and plays a key role in oral tolerance, or the suppression of immune responses to an orally delivered substance, like food.

(Virus linked to food sensitivity, NIH)