Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day: "Loquacious" (July 15, 2026)
Episode Overview
On this episode, Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day podcast, hosted by Peter Sokolowski, delves into the adjective “loquacious”—explaining its meaning, origins, usage, and related words. This episode offers a concise yet rich exploration of the term, especially for lovers of word origins and nuance.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Definition & Usage
- Loquacious is defined as “liking to talk and talking smoothly and easily.”
- Common synonyms given include:
- Wordy
- Garrulous (tending to talk a lot)
2. Example in Context
- A contemporary example is provided:
- “Due to their loquacious nature, marmosets have recently become a focus of studies on the revolutionary origin of human speech and language.” (Nature Communications)
- [00:29] — Illustrates “loquacious” applied to animals known for vocalization.
3. Etymology & Historical Usage
- The word made its way into English in the 17th century and has been a “favorite of the writerly sort.”
- Literary uses expanded “loquacious” beyond simply ‘talkative’—it can describe:
- The chattering of birds
- The babbling of brooks
- The “ultimate source of all this chattiness” is the Latin verb loqui, meaning “to talk or speak.”
4. Related Words
- Words descended from the Latin loqui include:
- Colloquial
- Eloquent
- Soliloquy
- Ventriloquism
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
[00:07]
- “Loquacious is an adjective. It means liking to talk and talking smoothly and easily.”
—Peter Sokolowski
-
[00:44]
- “Loquacious undeniably has a poetic ring to it. It’s been a favorite of the writerly sort since it made its first appearance in English in the 17th century…”
—Peter Sokolowski
-
[01:00]
- “Writers stretched its meaning beyond talkative and especially excessively talkative, to describe such things as the chattering of birds and the babbling of brooks.”
—Peter Sokolowski
-
[01:14]
- “The ultimate source of all this chattiness is loqui, a Latin verb meaning to talk or speak.”
—Peter Sokolowski
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:00 — Introduction and spelling of "loquacious"
- 00:07 — Definition and synonyms
- 00:29 — Example sentence from Nature Communications
- 00:44 — Comment on the word’s poetic quality and early usage
- 01:00 — Expanded literary uses
- 01:14 — Etymology and related Latin-derived words
Episode Tone
The episode maintains an enthusiastic and informative tone, with host Peter Sokolowski delivering explanations clearly and with a fondness for the nuances of language.
This episode is a quick, informative, and enjoyable listen for anyone wanting to deepen their vocabulary and understanding of word origins—an excellent daily dose of word power.
