From Latin 'eloquens' (speaking out) — 'e-' + 'loqui' (to speak), from PIE *tolkw-. Fluent, forceful, persuasive speech.
Fluent, forceful, and persuasive in speaking or writing. Vividly or movingly expressive.
From Latin 'ēloquēns' (speaking out, eloquent), present participle of 'ēloquī' (to speak out, to speak with full effect), a compound of 'ē-' / 'ex-' (out, out of, fully) + 'loquī' (to speak), from Proto-Indo-European *tolkʷ- (to speak). The PIE root *tolkʷ- is attested only in Italic and Celtic languages, suggesting it was a dialectal or cultural term for formal public speech. 'Loquī' generated a cluster of Latin words that passed
Cicero, Rome's greatest orator, was so identified with eloquence that medieval writers sometimes used 'Ciceronian' as a synonym for 'eloquent.' But Cicero himself distinguished between two Latin words for speaking: 'loquī' (ordinary speech) and 'dīcere' (formal, purposeful speech). Eloquence, etymologically, is ordinary speech ('loquī') elevated by the prefix 'ē-' — speech that goes out, that reaches
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