Altiloquence

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The employment of speech characterized by extravagant vocabulary illustrates a tendency towards elevated and grandiloquent expression
2. The use of language that is elaborate and impressively formal or ornate
3. A style of speaking that emphasizes grand and sophisticated vocabulary to appear elevated

Etymology: Altiloquence comes straight from the Latin "altiloquentia," a noun built from "altus," meaning "high" or "lofty," and "loquentia," from "loqui," meaning "to speak." Put together, the Latin describes speech that is raised high, a literal elevation of the voice and the diction along with it. English took the word over whole, so the lofty sense of the original has survived intact through its long journey into the language. The Latin root "loqui" is also behind English words such as "eloquence," "loquacious," and "colloquial," which share the same speaking core but took very different paths. "Altiloquence" stands out among them because its first element points upward, marking the speaker who reaches for grand phrasing rather than plain talk.