Word of the Day

: April 7, 2012

loquacious

adjective loh-KWAY-shus

What It Means

1 : full of excessive talk : wordy

2 : given to fluent or excessive talk : garrulous

loquacious in Context

The children were loquacious on the car ride back from the zoo, chattering endlessly about all the animals they saw.

"As the week sped by, we decided to take a break from our paradise for a jungle trip with the delightful, loquacious ‘Uncle Yip’, the resident nature expert. He started with a lecture and a detailed analysis of the flowers in the foyer." - From an article by Imogen Stubbs in Harper's, February 2012

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 its debut in 1656 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."