orationum

Orationum is the genitive plural of the Latin noun oratio, meaning a speech, a public address, or in ecclesiastical Latin, a prayer. In classical and medieval Latin, orationum functions as a possessive or content marker, roughly translating as “of the speeches” or “of the prayers.” It appears in texts ranging from rhetorical treatises to liturgical collections and is common in titles or catalog entries to indicate what a work contains.

Oratio is a feminine noun of the third declension. Its genitive singular is orationis, and its genitive plural is orationum. The form orationum thus designates material that comprises or originates from orations or prayers. In secular contexts it often means “of the speeches,” while in ecclesiastical usage it can indicate “of the prayers.” The exact sense is determined by the surrounding words.

Typical usage includes phrases such as orationum liber (a book of orations), orationum fragmenta (fragments of speeches), orationum auctorum (the speeches of authors). In a catalog or bibliography, orationum identifies the subject matter of a collection. Because Latin relies on inflection rather than fixed word order, the same form can signal different senses depending on the accompanying noun.

See also: oratio, oration, orator.