Word of the Month

W. Smith

I have an app for my iPad that sheds light on pairs of words that people tend to confuse, such as affect/effect. Since I don’t have trouble with “its” and “it’s,” this is an app I rarely use.

Less commonly used words that are similar are more of a challenge, perhaps for you as well as me. Here is a pair that I find challenging.

“Garrulous” means excessively talkative in a rambling manner, especially about trivial matters. Some synonyms are chatty, gabby, loquacious, rambling, windy and verbose. It seems to me that some terms refer to a person (like a loquacious colleague), while some refer to the verbiage (like discursive prose). And, of course, some refer to both.

Contrast “garrulous” with “querulous.” One who is querulous is inclined to make whining or peevish complaints. Carping critics gripe a lot and make querulous demands. Synonyms include whiney and complaining. Words with somewhat similar meanings include discontented, petulant, plaintive, irascible and testy. Just for the heck of, throw in “grouchy” and “captious.”

Both our words are from Latin. “Garrulous” evolved only slightly from the word for to chatter; “querulous” from the word for to complain.

Our two words of the month sound very similar, don’t they? And since they both refer to a person’s mode of speech (perhaps to one’s personality as well) maybe it would be wise — or at least pragmatic — for me either to become more familiar with them or satisfy myself with synonyms.

And if I become both garrulous and querulous, please firmly apply tape to my mouth.

Any thoughts about these words? Send reactions to [email protected] or offer an article of your own. v