Rhodomontata

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A boastful or extravagant statement that often exaggerates reality
2. The act of making pompous claims about one's abilities or accomplishments
3. A style of speech or writing that is characterized by excessive boastfulness and grandiloquence

Etymology: In Ariosto's epic poem "Orlando Furioso," Rodomonte is a Saracen king, fierce in battle and even more fierce in boast, who fills every scene with threats and self-praise. His name came to stand for the swaggering talk itself. Italian turned his name into "rodomontata," meaning a bombastic boast, and the word then passed into French and English. English writers adopted the term for empty, showy talk that outruns what the speaker can deliver. The "rh-" spelling that some dictionaries show has no connection to the Greek word for rose, despite its look. It is simply an English spelling variant that reached the word through Latinized or learned spellings.

Synonyms: boastful speech, bragging, bluster

Antonyms: modesty, humility, reserve