Word of the Week: Loquacious

Word: loquacious

Pronunciation: loh-KWAY-shəs

Part of Speech: adjective

Definition: talkative

Source: Oxford Dictionaries


Tulio: Any last words?

Miguel: I will cut you to ribbons!

Tulio: Fool! Such mediocrity! Let your sword do the talking!

Miguel: I will, it will be loquacious to a fault!

The Road to El Dorado (2000)

Anyone who ever enjoyed animated films as much as my sisters and I did (and still do, at least in my case) probably remembers a rather entertaining Dreamworks film from 2000 titled The Road to El Dorado, which tells the story of two con artists from 16th-century Spain and the adventure that leads them to El Dorado, the lost city of gold, in the New World. Aside from countless laughs shared with my sisters and about half a dozen Elton John songs that I couldn’t get out of my head, this movie also brings back the memory of the first time I heard the word “loquacious” used in a sentence. Of course, it would still be a few years before I understood what Miguel was saying while pretending to duel with Tulio, for it wasn’t until I looked up the meaning of this word that I recognized his comment for the comically poetic retort it was intended to be.

Put simply, a “loquacious” person is someone who is naturally talkative. The word stems from the Latin adjective loquax, which basically means “talkative”. This word, in turn, has roots in the Latin verb loqui, meaning “to talk” or “to speak”. “Loquacious” is also believed to have originated in the mid 17th-century, which, when you think about it, makes its use in the setting of The Road to El Dorado an anachronism. But who really cares about such details when it comes to a children’s movie, right?

It should be noted that while “loquacious” is another word for “talkative”, the two adjectives aren’t exactly synonyms. A “talkative” person is usually ready and willing to engage in conversation, while a “loquacious” person is often considered excessively chatty, possibly to the point of being annoying. Therefore, one could read Miguel’s comment about his “talkative sword” as a little redundant, though I don’t believe it takes away from the hilarity of the show he and Tulio put on as a cover to escape from the authorities!

Tulio: Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve decided it’s a draw!

Miguel: Thank you all for coming! You’ve been great, see you soon!

Tulio: Adios!

What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?

Pin It on Pinterest