Eloquence is the power of speaking fluently and movingly. Great eloquence, speak with eloquence, the eloquence of the plea.
It is about effect rather than truth, which is why rhetoric has always been suspected: eloquence can carry a bad case as easily as a good one. Silence is sometimes called eloquent, which is the word doing its most interesting work.
1nouneloquenceThe power of speaking fluently and movingly.
“The lawyer's eloquence moved several members of the jury to tears.”
eloquence is a skill.
Latin eloquentia comes from eloqui, to speak out — e, out, plus loqui, to speak.
Latin
ēloquentia
Old French
eloquence
Middle English
eloquence
English, today
eloquence
From Middle English eloquence, from Old French eloquence, from Latin ēloquentia. a doublet of eloquency, directly from.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA