Word of the Day

Sunday October 18, 2009

garrulous [GAIR-uh-lus; GAIR-yuh-]

adjective

Talking much, especially about commonplace or trivial things; talkative; loquacious.
Having a loud, harsh note; noisy; -- said of birds; as, the garrulous roller.

Foote won two Super Bowls with this Steelers defense in seven seasons of positional excellence and is missed to this day for his garrulous nature and ready smile. He simplified a highly technical Dick LeBeau scheme into something he could be effective with, and deftly honed his verbal approach thusly: "I talk," he said, "the whole game." That, of course, was not entirely true. He talked before the game, too.

Gene Collier, "Steelers will get an earful from Foote", Pittsburgh Post - Gazette, Oct 11, 2009
Not quite content to rummage through his store of shakers, gongs, hand drums and homemade contraptions, Mr. Baptista added an array of grunts and birdcalls, chattering at one point into a megaphone. It was a show of restless energy, never less than entertaining. But his garrulous sprawl felt at odds with Mr. Parker, who played with his usual focus, both stoic and serene.

Nate Chinen, "High-Energy Improvising With an Ever-Shifting Cast", New York Times, Oct 15, 2009
The traveler stood looking from the tap-room window of the Cauliflower at the falling rain. The village street below was empty, and everything was quiet with the exception of the garrulous old man smoking with much enjoyment on the settle behind him.

William Wymark Jacobs (1863 - 1943) An English author of short stories and novels. The White Cat - Captains All, Book 10. (1905)

Origin of the Word

Garrulous, approximately 1611, derives from Latin garrulus "talkative," from garrire "to chatter."