Building a Better Vocabulary

Roots for “Speak”
z We’ll end this lecture with three powerful roots that center on the
meaning of “speak.” We’ve touched on some of these roots and
derived words in earlier lectures, but reviewing them will help you
make connections among words and learn new, unfamiliar words in
the future.

z The Latin root usually spelled loc or loq means “speak.” Our key

word for this root is ventriloquist; other words we’ve studied

that share this root are soliloquy, loquacious, and obloquy. Some

additional derived words include the following:

ż elocution: the art of public speaking

ż eloquent FKDUDFWHUL]HG E\ ÀXHQF\ DQG SHUVXDVLYHQHVV LQ

speech or writing

ż colloquium: a conference, usually academic, at which

specialists and experts speak on particular topics

ż colloquial: speaking in an informal way

ż grandiloquent: overblown, bombastic speech

ż interlocutor: someone who takes part in a conversation or

dialogue between people; often used in a political sense to refer

to an informal middleman between parties in the preliminary

stages of negotiations

z The Latin root dic/dict also means “speak.” English words derived

from this root include diction, dictate, dictionary, predict, verdict,

benediction, edict, and indict.

z Finally, the Latin voc means “call.” English words derived from this

root include vocal, vociferous, advocate, avocation, convocation,

equivocal, and invocation.