Word of the Day : November 21, 2020

grandiloquence \gran-DIH-luh-kwunss\ noun

Definition

: a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in language

Did You Know?

Grandiloquence, which debuted in English in the 16th century, is one of several English words pertaining to speech that derive from the Latin loqui, meaning "to speak." Other offspring of loqui include eloquent ("marked by fluent expression"), loquacious ("full of excessive talk"), and soliloquy ("a long, dramatic monologue"). Grandiloquence comes (probably via Middle French) from the Latin adjective grandiloquus, which combines loqui and the adjective grandis ("grand or great"). A word that is very similar in meaning to grandiloquence is magniloquence—and the similarity is not surprising. Magniloquence combines loqui with magnus, another Latin word meaning "great."

Aired November 21, 2020

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