Etymograph

English

eloquence

Eloquence comes from Latin ēloquēns ‘eloquent, articulate’, from ēloquor ‘to speak or utter plainly’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *telkʷ- ‘to talk’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*telkʷ-‘to talk’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tlokʷetorreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tlokʷōr‘to speak’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEloquor‘to say, speak, tell, talk, utter’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēloquor‘to speak or utter plainly’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēloquēns‘eloquent, articulate’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēloquentia
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400eloquence
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  10. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*telkʷ-‘to talk’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tlokʷetorreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tlokʷōr‘to speak’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEloquor‘to say, speak, tell, talk, utter’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēloquor‘to speak or utter plainly’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēloquēns‘eloquent, articulate’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēloquentia
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400eloquence
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  10. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598same form

Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare: “Thy paleneſſe [var. plainness] moues me more then eloquence,…”

Linked words

through Latin loquor ‘to say, speak, tell, talk, utter’

colloquial, interlocutor, colloquium, soliloquy, loquacious, 19 more

Today it means

noun The quality of artistry and persuasiveness in speech or writing.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *telkʷ- / eloquence

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