Where does “circumlocution” come from?
Circumlocution comes from Latin circumlocutio, formed from circum "around" and the suffix -tio (from a root meaning "to speak"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European telkʷ-.
circumlocution (English): A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use...
Definitions
- A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use...
Ancestry of “circumlocution”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | circumlocutio | circumlocution, periphrasis |
| 2 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 3 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 4 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 5 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 6 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 7 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 8 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |