loquacious
- Tending to talk a great deal; very chatty or fond of conversation.
In a sentence
- Our loquacious neighbor could turn a ten-second greeting into a half-hour conversation.
- The professor was loquacious in seminars but surprisingly quiet at departmental parties.
Usage note. Loquacious is more neutral-to-playful than 'garrulous,' which often implies tedious rambling; use loquacious when the talkativeness is merely abundant rather than annoying.
Where it comes from
English loquacious · entered English mid-17th c.
From Latin loquax (genitive loquacis), meaning 'talkative,' from loqui ('to speak'). The same root gives English 'eloquent' and 'elocution.' It entered English in the mid-17th century.