English
verbose
Verbose comes from Latin verbōsus ‘prolix, wordy, verbose’, from verbum ‘word’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- ‘to speak, say’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*werh₁-‘to speak, say’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*werdʰom‘word’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*werðom‘word’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEverbum‘word’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEverbōsus‘prolix, wordy, verbose’
- Englishearliest quotation 1672verbose
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*werh₁-‘to speak, say’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*werdʰom‘word’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*werðom‘word’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEverbum‘word’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEverbōsus‘prolix, wordy, verbose’
- Englishearliest quotation 1672verbose
Earliest quotation: 1672, William Penn, To the Impartial Reader: “I omit more than an Hundred Things, that would…”
The story
Verbōsus is derived from verbum (‘word’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (‘to say, speak’)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, overly, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- ‘to speak, say’
through Proto-Indo-European *werdʰom ‘word’
through Proto-Italic *werðom ‘word’
through Latin verbum ‘word’
Today it means
adj Containing or using more words than necessary; long-winded, wordy.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- / verbose