Word of the Day

: September 27, 2018

orotund

adjective OR-uh-tund

What It Means

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

2 : excessively elevated or inflated : pompous, bombastic

orotund in Context

"'This time, it's personal.' Yeah, yeah, you've no doubt heard that orotund threat before in movie trailers for the newest sequel to some action revenge movie starring Charles Bronson, Bruce Willis or Liam Neeson." — Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News, 15 Dec. 2017

"She attacked 'Dopo notte, atra e funesta,' from Ariodante, with downright ferocity (the text partly describes a ship tossed in a tempest). It was an excellent display piece for her distinctive voice, which is deeply pitched and orotund of character, yet capable of finely calibrated coloratura." — James M. Keller, The Santa Fe New Mexican, 5 Jan. 2018

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.