Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rhetorical” come from?

Rhetorical derives from Latin rhetoricus, from Ancient Greek ῥητορικός, from ῥήτωρ meaning "orator," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- meaning "to speak."

rhetorical (English): Part of or similar to rhetoric, the use of...

Definitions

  1. Part of or similar to rhetoric, the use of...

Ancestry of “rhetorical”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinrhetoricusrhetorical, or or pertaining to rhetoric or a...
2Ancient Greekῥητορικόςconcerning public speaking or oration, rhetorical
3Ancient Greekῥήτωρorator, public speaker; politician, statesman;...
4Ancient GreekεἴρωI tie, join, fasten, string together; I insert;...
5Proto-Hellenicwéřřōto say, to tell
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwéryetito be saying
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerh₁-to speak, say

Words derived from “rhetorical”

  • rhetorically
  • unrhetorical
  • nonrhetorical
  • antirhetorical
  • unrhetorically
  • rhetoricalness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- →