Eloquent means speaking so well that the words carry real force. An eloquent speech, eloquent defence, eloquently put.
It praises the effect as much as the skill: eloquent speech persuades and moves, and calling somebody eloquent says they made people listen. It also applies to silence and to objects — an eloquent silence, an eloquent gesture — where the thing speaks without words, which is the more interesting use. Note eloquence; and that the Latin means simply speaking out.
1adjectiveeloquentSpeaking so well that the words carry real force.
“She gave an eloquent speech that moved many in the audience to tears.”
synonyms: articulate, persuasive
eloquent is a quality of speech.
Latin eloquens is the present participle of eloqui, to speak out — e plus loqui, to speak. Loquacious, colloquial and ventriloquist come from the same speaking.
Latin
ēloquēns
Old French
eloquent
English, today
eloquent
Built from
Borrowed from Old French eloquent, from Latin ēloquēns. From Old French eloquent, from Latin eloquens (“speaking, having the faculty of speech, eloquent”), present participle of eloquor (“to speak out”), from e (“out”) + loquor (“to speak”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA