# Interlocutory
## Overview
**Interlocutory** describes something that occurs during the course of proceedings — typically a court ruling that is provisional rather than final. In a broader sense, it relates to dialogue or conversation: an interlocutory exchange is one between speakers.
## Etymology
From Latin *interlocutorius*, from *interloqui* ('to speak between, to interrupt, to make an intermediate ruling'), composed of *inter-* ('between, among') and *loqui* ('to speak'). The PIE root is **\*tolkʷ-** ('to speak').
## Legal Meaning
In law, an **interlocutory order** is a court ruling made during litigation that does not constitute a final judgment. It addresses procedural or interim matters — discovery disputes, temporary injunctions, evidentiary rulings — while the case continues.
The term preserves the Roman legal concept of *interlocutio*: a judge's pronouncement made between stages of a trial. Roman procedure distinguished between *interlocutiones* (intermediate rulings that guided the process) and the *sententia* (the final judgment). English and many civil-law systems maintain this distinction.
An **interlocutory appeal** is an appeal of such an interim ruling before the final judgment. Most legal systems restrict interlocutory appeals to prevent litigation delays, requiring parties to wait for a final judgment before appealing.
## The Loqui Family
Latin *loqui* ('to speak') is one of the most productive speech-roots in English vocabulary:
- **Eloquent**: *e-/ex-* ('out') + *loqui* — speaking out effectively, persuasively - **Loquacious**: from *loquax* — talking a great deal, verbose - **Elocution**: *e-* + *locutio* — the art of speaking clearly and expressively - **Colloquial**: *con-* ('together') + *loqui* — how people speak together informally - **Colloquium**: a formal conversation or academic conference - **Soliloquy**: *solus* ('alone') + *loqui* — speaking alone, especially in drama - **Ventriloquist**: *venter* ('belly') + *loqui* — literally 'belly-speaker,' one who projects voice so it seems to come from elsewhere - **Circumlocution**: *circum-* ('around') + *locutio* — speaking around a point, using many words to avoid directness - **Grandiloquent**: *grandis* ('grand') + *loqui* — speaking grandly, pompously - **Interlocutor**: one who takes part in a dialogue — a conversation partner
## Conversational Sense
Beyond the legal domain, **interlocutory** can describe any exchange that occurs between parties in dialogue. An **interlocutor** is a person who participates in a conversation. In the tradition of minstrel shows (now rightly criticized), the Interlocutor was the master of ceremonies who spoke 'between' the other performers.
## Related Forms
The family includes **interlocutor** (noun, a conversation partner), **interlocution** (noun, dialogue or an intermediate legal pronouncement), and the broader *locu-/loqu-* word family described above.