harangue

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The Word of the Day for October 11 is:

harangue   \huh-RANG\   noun
     1 : a speech addressed to a public assembly
    *2 : a ranting speech or writing
     3 : lecture 

Example sentence:
     The comedian's stand-up act consisted mostly of sharp harangues against 
celebrities and the media.

Did you know? 
     In Old Italian, the noun "aringo" referred to a public assembly, the verb 
"aringare" meant "to speak in public," and the noun "aringa" referred to a 
public speech. "Aringa" was borrowed into Middle French as "arenge," and it is 
from this form that we get our noun "harangue," which made its first appearance 
in English in the 16th century. Perhaps due to the bombastic or exasperated 
nature of some public speeches, the term quickly developed an added sense 
referring to a speech or writing in the style of a rant (though the word "rant" 
is not etymologically related). There is also a verb "harangue," which refers 
to the act of making such a speech.