Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “eloquent” come from?

Eloquent comes from Old French eloquent, from Latin eloquens, the present participle of eloqui, meaning "to speak out," formed from the prefix ex- and a root from Proto-Indo-European eǵ-.

eloquent (English): fluently persuasive and articulate; effective in...

Definitions

  1. fluently persuasive and articulate; effective in...

Ancestry of “eloquent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frencheloquent—
2Latineloquenseloquent, articulate
3Latineloquipresent active infinitive of ēloquor; to speak...
4Latine-Alternative form of ex-; out of; out, utterly
5Latinex-out, away; throughout; thoroughly
6LatineThe name of the letter "E"; out of, from
7LatinexA name of the letter "X"; out of, from
8Latincommūnicō—
9Latincommūnis—
10Old Latincom(m)oinis—
11Proto-Italickommoinis—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanḱom-moy-ni-held in common
13Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
14Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
15Middle Englishkyt—
16Germankitt—
17Old High Germankuti—
18Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
19Proto-Germanickweduzresin

Words derived from “eloquent”

  • ineloquent
  • ineloquently
  • uneloquent
  • eloquentness
Every word from Proto-Germanic kweduz →