wordy
Meaning
Using or containing too many words, especially long or formal ones.
Structure
Usage
The report was rejected for being overly wordy and difficult to follow.
He gave a wordy explanation when a simple "yes" would have sufficed.
Avoid wordy phrases in your essay to make your argument more powerful.
Etymology
The adjective 'wordy' is a straightforward native English formation. Its core, 'word', descends from the Proto-Germanic wurda-, which itself derives from the Proto-Indo-European root werh₁- meaning "to speak" or "to say". The suffix '-y', of Old English origin, is a prolific adjectival ending used to indicate a quality or abundance. Thus, the literal construction "full of words" directly and logically evolved into its modern abstract meaning, describing speech or writing that is excessively verbose or uses more words than necessary.
Analysis
- word: Origin: Old English. Functional role: The core noun root, denoting a unit of language. - y: Origin: Old English. Functional role: An adjective-forming suffix meaning "characterized by" or "full of".