Orotund

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɒɹə(ʊ)tʌnd/

Definitions

1. Characterized by a full, rich, and imposing sound or style of speaking or writing that is often pompous or bombastic
2. a sonorous and grandiloquent manner of speech or writing that produces an impressively full tone, often with affected pomposity
3. marked by a deep, resonant vocal quality combined with an ornate or inflated style of expression that sounds grandiose

Etymology: Orotund comes from a Latin phrase, "ōre rotundō," literally "with a round mouth." The Latin "ōs," meaning mouth, gives the first part, and "rotundus," meaning round, gives the second, and the phrase was used to mean clear or loud. English took it up as a learned borrowing, and it may have been reinforced by the English word "rotund," meaning round, which blended the idea of a shapely, full mouth with a full, rich sound. The word is a close relative of "rotund," and the same Latin root "rota," meaning wheel, is thought to lie behind "rotundus." So a voice described as orotund is, in a sense, one that comes out round and full, the way a wheel is round.

Synonyms: sonorous, resonant, full, rich, deep

Antonyms: weak, thin, feeble, faint, shallow