Word of the Day - 05/24/26
glossolalia
/,glɑsoʊ'leɪliə/(n.): repetitive nonmeaningful speech (especially that associated with a trance state or religious fervor); i.e. speaking in tongues
The documentary explored how glossolalia appears in religious traditions across many cultures, from Pentecostal churches to ancient rituals.
Word Origin
The word 'glossolalia' originates from Ancient Greek. It is a compound word formed from 'glōssa' (γλῶσσα), meaning 'tongue' or 'language', and 'lalia' (λαλιά), meaning 'babbling' or 'speech'. The term describes the phenomenon of speaking in tongues, often associated with religious practices.
Words with a similar origin include 'glossary' (from 'glōssa'), 'polyglot' (one who speaks multiple languages, from 'poly-' meaning many, and 'glōssa'), and 'glottis' (from 'glōttis', a derivative of 'glōssa'). Words ending in '-lalia' include 'echolalia' (repetitive imitation of words) and 'coprolalia' (involuntary utterance of obscenities).
As a reminder, here are all of the words from this week:
caprice bibulous inchoative
glossolalia
See if you can remember all of this week's words! Here is a sentence that includes all seven, followed by a version that simplifies them to help you remember:
At the de rigueur literary retreat, a bibulous and deracinated novelist, seized by caprice during an inchoative discussion of mysticism, burst into glossolalia so bewildering that the editors could scarcely cull a usable sentence from his monologue.At the fashionable literary retreat, a drunk and uprooted novelist, seized by whim during a beginning discussion of mysticism, burst into meaningless babbling so bewildering that the editors could scarcely pick out a usable sentence from his monologue.