Word of the Day : June 15, 2017

loquacious \loh-KWAY-shus\ adjective

Definition

1 : full of excessive talk : wordy

2 : given to fluent or excessive talk : garrulous

Examples

"We would sit together for about half an hour, the silent old lady and the loquacious little girl, while I babbled on at her and she smiled and nodded and patted my hand." — Anna Russell, I'm Not Making This Up, You Know, 1985

"And although [Dwight Eisenhower's] syntax was sometimes twisted, he worked on his speaking ability, so much so that he was not afraid of having regular news conferences (he had 193 by the end of his second term, identical to the sum held by the more loquacious Bill Clinton)." — Thomas V. DiBacco, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2017

Did You Know?

When you hear or say loquacious, you might notice that the word has a certain poetic ring. In fact, poets quickly snatched up loquacious soon after it made its first appearance in English in the 17th century and, with poetic license, stretched its meaning to include such things as the chattering of birds and the babbling of brooks. In less poetic uses, loquacious usually means "excessively talkative." The ultimate source of all this chattiness is loqui, a Latin verb meaning "to speak." Other words descended from loqui include colloquial, eloquent, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.

Aired June 15, 2017

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