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Sialoquent – Word of the Day

By September 18, 2023January 1st, 2024No Comments
sialoquent - word of the day, pencils shown horizontally and layered vertically from top to bottom

Sialoquent is today’s Word of the Day. I saved “sialoquent” for this month as I am embarking on my 11th year as an adjunct professor*. I thought it was perfect as this verrry obscure word is all about being the recipient of someone that spits while speaking. Now, I don’t personally spit while lecturing (or delivering training with The Chief Storyteller ®), I’m sure there is a lottery-winning chance I may have once or twice in my decade plus of being a professor (smile). Sialoquent, really has a nice sound to it, for a somewhat unpleasant act, don’t you agree?

* Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland

WORD TYPE DEFINITION PRONUNCIATION
Sialoquent Noun, Verb Someone that spits while speaking, especially while giving a speech/the act of spitting while speaking sy-AHL-uh-kwuhnt
SOURCE “The great 17th century lexicographer Thomas Blount defined it in his work Glossographia as an adjective (‘that spits much in his speech’), while Edward Cocker appears to have listed it as a noun” – Merriam-Webster.  The etymology is a blend Blend of of sialic +‎ eloquent, from Ancient Greek σίαλον (síalon, “spittle, saliva”) and Latin loqui (to speak)
EXAMPLES
  1. “Sialoquent, one that hawks and spits in discourse.” Source:  Edward Cocker, Cocker’s English Dictionary, 1704
  2. “The powerful trio [CEOs of GM, Ford, and Chrysler] were greeted with disdain and disbelief. Sialoquent congressmen vented their rage one by one.” Source:  Levi Tillemann; The Great Race; Simon & Schuster; 2015
  3. “I once knew a fellow named Fritz, Who spoke with conspicuous spritz. Whatever he`d say Came out with a spray. His sialoquent spurts gave me fits!”  Source: Chloe S. Yarmouth, There’s a Word for it! by Charles Harrington Elster

Information Sources:  Combination of Dictionary.com; Dictionary of American Regional English; Merriam-Webster Dictionary; Collins English Dictionary; Oxford English Dictionary; Vocabulary.com; A Word a Day; The Etyman™; The Word Finder (J.I. Rodale)
Photography Source:  © Copyright 2023, The Chief Storyteller ®, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Pencils from Unsplash, Kelli Tungay
#chiefstoryteller #communication #wordoftheday #funwithwords

Ira Koretsky

Ira Koretsky is the CEO of The Chief Storyteller®. He helps you improve performance and employee engagement with better communication. Storytelling in all its forms is his secret sauce. He is also an adjunct professor in public speaking, storytelling, and data storytelling at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. With over 25 years of experience, he is a sought-after global speaker, trainer, consultant, and coach for storytelling and public speaking.