From Latin 'dictio' (a saying), from 'dicere' (to say), from PIE *deyk- (to point) — pointing, showing, and speaking linked.
The choice and use of words in speech or writing; the manner of enunciating words clearly and distinctly.
From Latin 'dictiō' (genitive: 'dictiōnis' — a saying, expression, word, style), from 'dictus,' the past participle of 'dīcere' (to say, to speak, to tell, to assert). The PIE root is *deyḱ- (to show, to point out), the same root behind 'index' (that which points), 'indicate' (to point out), 'digit' (a finger — the pointing tool), Greek 'deiknynai' (to show), and Sanskrit 'diśati' (shows, points). The semantic journey from 'pointing' to 'speaking' reflects the deep ancient connection between gesture and speech
The word 'dictionary' literally means 'a book of diction' — a collection of words and their meanings. When Robert Cawdrey published the first English dictionary in 1604, he titled it 'A Table Alphabeticall' rather than using the word 'dictionary,' which did not become the standard term for such books until the mid-seventeenth century.