archiloquy · noun — the first part of a speech; a prosaic introduction; the highlight of a sermon, lecture, or other form of address. It carries an Arena rating of 1388, earned across 16 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, archiloquy ranks #14 of 17,151 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #5,269 of 17,205 for The Improbable, #5,455 of 17,177 for Most Whimsical Words, #7,320 of 17,201 for Funniest Words.
Why “archiloquy” is a great word
The initial, often prosaic opening of an oration, which establishes its principal theme. From the combining form archi- ("chief, principal, first") and -loquy (from Latin -loquium, "speaking", from loqui, "to speak"). Unlike a peroration, which is the rousing, summarizing conclusion, or a prologue, which is a narrative preface, an archiloquy is the foundational, thematic threshold of a spoken address. It is the lecturer clearing his throat and naming the single haunting idea, the deliberate placement of hands on the lectern to still their tremor, the dry ground from which all rhetorical flourish must later spring—the necessary, quiet moment when an idea first breaks silence and commits itself to the air.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From archi- + -loquy.
noun
- The first part of a speech; a prosaic introduction; the highlight of a sermon, lecture, or other form of address.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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