dulciloquy

English

Etymology

Latin dulcis (“sweet”) and loqui (“to speak”).

Noun

dulciloquy (uncountable)

1. A soft manner of speaking; gentle speech.
   • 1885, Isaac L. Vansant, Roofless: a romance in rhyme:

     Hushed into sweet tranquillity / By that divine dulciloquy.

   • 1901, Isaac Kahn Friedman, By bread alone:

     Winslow started on his dulciloquy. With an autocratic, barely perceptible sweep of the hand, the general cut him short.

   • 1998, Sandie Byrne, H, v., & O: the poetry of Tony Harrison, page 135:

     If Harrison's poetry depicts machine-gun tongues of fire as leading to nothing but apocalypse, a fruitless Pentecost, it does not commend the tongues of fire of dulciloquy and poetic eloquence as capable of bringing redemption.

Related terms

• dulciloquence
• dulciloquent