The word somnambulism
is to walk as what word is to
talk?
Etymology, Etymology, and more Etymology
as well as grammar, usage, euphemism, slang, jargon, semantics (meaning), linguistics, neologism, idiom, word origin, syntax, dialect, lexicon (vocabulary), diction, pidgin, synonym, antonym, homonym, cant, argot, lingo, and redundancy.
The critically-acclaimed board game
MooT
consists of tough questions about the nuances of the English language.
Answer:
somniloquism
Those who sleep-walk are somnambulists, whereas those who
sleep-talk are somniloquists.
According to the
Online Etymological Dictionary, the word
somnambulism beat out the word
noctambulation to become the common English
word for this phenomenon.
Please note that these are draft questions for the board game MooT.
If you spot an error or disagree with anything I've said here,
please let me know and I'll fix it.
(the Mootguy)
Feedback
re: etymology of
somnabulism/somniloquism, just to make things clear you could also give the
Latin word loquere: to speak.
The other day I came across the etymology of tawdry. Fascinating and I should have known it because
I have often visited Ely and my parents were married at St. Etheldreda's, Ely
Place.
Maybe you've already used it for MooT. Always
happy to get the emails and even more when I get the right answer as I did with
somniloquism.
Regards
x-Patrick Carey
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Loquere? I remember that "speak" in Latin is a deponential verb (
deponens in Latin), i.e. it is passive in form
but active in meaning. To speak is thus "loqui" not "*loquere". And I speak
would be "loqueor". Another example is "hortari" to
command.
x-Neils
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