English
voluble
Voluble comes from Middle French volubile ‘inconstant, variable’, from Latin volūbilis ‘rolling’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to turn, wind, round’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to turn, wind, round’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wolwōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvolvō‘roll’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvolūbilis‘rolling’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600volubile‘inconstant, variable’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596voluble
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to turn, wind, round’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wolwōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvolvō‘roll’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvolūbilis‘rolling’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600volubile‘inconstant, variable’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596voluble
Earliest quotation: c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, Loues Labour’s Lost: “A moſt acute Iuuvenal, voluble and free of grace,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to turn, wind, round’
well, walk, wall, valve, vulgar, waltz, helix, divulge, vagrant, gauche, vulgate, wale, iliac, ilium, valvular, valise, 72 more
through Proto-Italic *wolwō
revolve, devolution, devolve, convolutional, 40 more
through Latin volvō ‘roll’
volume, revolution, vault, evolution, involve, evolve, revolt, vulva, convoluted, voluminous, convolution, involution, 44 more
Today it means
adj Fluent or having a ready flow of speech.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *welH- / voluble