An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. An act of uttering; a spoken word, statement, or vocal sound.
   

2. Something uttered; a word or words uttered; a cry, animal’s call, or the like.
   

3. Linguistics: Any speech sequence consisting of one or more words and preceded and followed by silence: it may be coextensive with a sentence (Dictionary.com).

See also: → utter; → -ance.