plain-spoken

The compound adjective 'plain-spoken' is a relatively modern English formation, emerging in the 17th century. It combines the native English word 'plain', with its established sense of "clear, evident, and free from obscurity" (itself from Latin via French), with the past participle 'spoken'. The logic is transparent: one's speech is delivered in a plain, unadorned, and unambiguous manner. This construction follows a familiar English pattern for describing character through speech, analogous to 'soft-spoken' or 'well-spoken'. The term embodies an Anglo-Saxon preference for directness, valuing clarity and honesty in communication over flattery or evasion.

Structure: plain (clear, simple) + spoken (spoken) - plain: From Old French 'plain', from Latin 'planus' (flat, level, clear). In this compound, it functions as an adverb/adjective meaning 'clearly, simply, without ornament'. - spoken: Past participle of the verb 'speak', from Old English 'specan', 'sprecan'. In this compound, it functions as the verbal element meaning 'expressed in speech'.