History and Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin
ēloquent-, ēloquens "capable of speech, expressing oneself fluently," from present participle of
ēloquī "to utter, put into words," from
ē- e- entry 1 +
loquī "to talk, speak," probably going back to dialectal Indo-European
*tlokw- "talk," whence also Old Irish
ad-tluichethar "(s/he) gives thanks" (originally with
buide "thanks" as object, as in
atluchedar buidi do Día "he thanks God"),
do-tluichethar "(s/he) desires, beseeches, asks," Old Church Slavic
tlŭk "interpreter" (from
*tl̥kw-o-)