colloquial
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What is the definition and pronunciation of the word “colloquial”?
It's the word of the day for August fifth. Today's word is colloquial, spelled C-O-L-L-O-Q-U-I-A-L.
Colloquial is an adjective. It's used with words like term and word and expression to describe language that is used in familiar and informal conversation.
How is “colloquial” illustrated with the American woodcock example?
Here's the word used in a sentence from the Green Bay Press Gazette. The American woodcock is a native North American bird species found in Wisconsin and much of the eastern United States and Canada. Known by a host of colloquial names, including timberdoodle, bogsucker, and mud snipe, the species is about the size of the American robin. The noun colloqui has since the fifteenth century referred to a conversation or dialogue, and when the adjective colloquial was formed in the mid-eighteenth century, it had a similar focus.
What is the historical origin of “colloquial” and its related Latin root?
Both words trace back to the Latin verb colloqui meaning to converse. Over time, however, colloquial developed a more specific meaning related to language that is most suited to informal conversation, and it ultimately garnered a secondary use for language that is so informal as to be inappropriate for a given situation. For instance, when writing an academic paper about Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, it would not serve to say that the crew of the Endurance was in quite a pickle when they became trapped in ice off the Caired coast. Although the word pickle does indeed mean a difficult situation in this context, its flavor may be considered too colloquial, that is unacceptably formal for academic use.
When does using a colloquial term become inappropriate in formal writing?
With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski. Visit MarionWebster dot com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the definition and pronunciation of the word “colloquial”?
0:06–0:29
2
How is “colloquial” illustrated with the American woodcock example?
0:29–1:07
3
What is the historical origin of “colloquial” and its related Latin root?
1:07–1:58
4
When does using a colloquial term become inappropriate in formal writing?
1:58–2:10