Word of the Day

: September 2, 2006

orotund

adjective OR-uh-tund

What It Means

1 : marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound : sonorous

2 : pompous, bombastic

orotund in Context

Josh cleared his throat dramatically, then did a dead-on impression of the professor's orotund, patronizing speech.

Did You Know?

The Latin roots of "orotund" are related to two more common English words-"oral" and "rotund." Latin "or-" means "mouth," and "rotundus" means "round" or "circular." The Roman poet Horace joined forms of those Latin terms to create the phrase "ore rotundo," literally meaning "with round mouth," and figuratively meaning "with well-turned speech." "Ore rotundo" was modified to "orotund" and adopted into English in the late 18th century. It can indicate either strength of delivery or inflated wording.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.