D defs.my
Entry 4 senses Webster, 1913

Rhetoric

/rĕt'-ẽr-ĭk/ · Rhet·o·ric · IPA /ɹɪˈtɒɹɪk/
01 n. The art of composition; especially, elegant composition in prose.
  1. 1.
    The art of composition; especially, elegant composition in prose.
  2. 2.
    Oratory; the art of speaking with propriety, elegance, and force.
  3. 3.
    Hence, artificial eloquence; fine language or declamation without conviction or earnest feeling.
  4. 4.
    Fig. : The power of persuasion or attraction; that which allures or charms.
    “Sweet, silent rhetoric of persuading eyes.” Daniel.