From Latin 'loquax' (talkative), from 'loqui' (to speak) — literally 'inclined to speak,' given to excess words.
Tending to talk a great deal; excessively talkative. Characterized by excessive talk; wordy.
From Latin 'loquāx' (talkative, chattering, given to speech), genitive 'loquācis,' from 'loquī' (to speak, to say), from Proto-Indo-European *tolkʷ- (to speak). The Latin suffix '-āx' — highly productive in Latin — denotes a characteristic tendency or inclination, so 'loquāx' means literally 'inclined to talk, given to speaking.' English borrowed it in the mid-17th century and added the adjectival suffix '-ious' (from Latin '-ōsus,' full of). The PIE root *tolkʷ- also produced Latin 'eloquī' (to speak out, to speak eloquently, whence 'eloquent'), 'colloquī' (to speak together, whence 'colloquy' and 'colloquial'), 'locūtiō' (speech, whence 'locution' and 'elocution'), and 'ventriloquist' (belly-speaker). The root is restricted to Latin and its derivatives; no secure Germanic or Greek
The Latin suffix '-āx' (tending to) produced a family of personality adjectives that passed into English: 'audax' (daring) gave 'audacious,' 'capax' (able to hold) gave 'capacious,' 'tenax' (holding fast) gave 'tenacious,' 'vorax' (devouring) gave 'voracious,' and 'loquax' (chattering) gave 'loquacious.' Each word names an excess — an inclination carried to its extreme. To be loquacious is not merely to speak but to be compelled to speak, as if the tongue cannot stop itself.
Words closest in meaning, ranked by similarity