Colloquial
/kəˈloʊ.kwi.əl/noun
Used in ordinary, informal conversation rather than in formal speech or writing.
Did you know?Colloquial comes from Latin *colloquium*, meaning a “conversation” or “talk together,” built from *com-* (“together”) + *loqui* (“to speak”), the same ancient speech-root behind several words about eloquence and dialogue.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wekʷ-
“to speak, say”
Latin
Latin
loquī
“to speak”
Latin
Latin
colloquium
“a conversation, talking together”
Late Latin
Latin
colloquialis
“of conversation, conversational”
Middle English
English
colloquial
“of ordinary conversation”
Modern English
English
colloquial
“used in casual everyday speech”
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