Dictate
Dictate , transitive verb
[Latin dictatus, past participle of dictare, freq. of dicere to say. See Diction, and compare Dight.]
1.
To tell or utter so that another may write down; to inspire; to compose; as, to dictate a letter to an amanuensis.
The mind which dictated the Iliad.
Pages dictated by the Holy Spirit.
2.
To say; to utter; to communicate authoritatively; to deliver (a command) to a subordinate; to declare with authority; to impose; as, to dictate the terms of a treaty; a general dictates orders to his troops.
Whatsoever is dictated to us by God must be believed.
Dictate , intransitive verb
1.
To speak as a superior; to command; to impose conditions (on).
Who presumed to dictate to the sovereign.
2.
To compose literary works; to tell what shall be written or said by another.
Sylla could not skill of letters, and therefore knew not how to dictate.
Dictate , noun
[Latin dictatum. See Dictate, transitive verb]
A statement delivered with authority; an order; a command; an authoritative rule, principle, or maxim; a prescription; as, listen to the dictates of your conscience; the dictates of the gospel.
I credit what the Grecian dictates say.