locu-, loc- +

1. A formal speech or address, especially one that contains an authoritative statement on a subject or an exhortation to someone: "Even before he became the 16th President of United States, Abraham Lincoln was well known for his clear and very concise style of allocution."
2. A traditional formal question directed by a court to a defendant convicted of a felony before sentencing, asking whether or not the defendant has anything to say regarding why the sentence should not be pronounced against him or her: "I believe that to have interfered as I have done, as I have freely admitted I have done, in behalf of God's despised poor, I did no wrong, but right. Now, if this court should deem it necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice . . . I say let it be done."

So went the court room allocution of John Brown, American hero to the slaves.

1. The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language: A circumlocution involves the use of several or many words instead of one or a few of them.
2. An evasion in speech or writing instead of speaking or writing directly to the point: Mr. Hill, the principal, usually used indirect statements or circumlocutions when the teachers asked him specific questions about what to do in certain situations while teaching.
3. A roundabout or indirect way of expressing oneself: Mrs. Thompson told her student, “Now, no more circumlocution, let me know exactly what you want to tell me.”
4. A description of a person who is using long words; especially, when verbal construction utilizing less amplification might represent a more naturally efficacious phraseology: Billy's use of circumlocution lengthened his report to his teacher; however, it resulted in his having a lower grade. © ALL rights are reserved. © ALL rights are reserved.

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Relating to, or consisting of, circumlocutions; periphrastic; circuitous: Verbosity and circumlocutional expressions are too often substituted for clear, direct statements; for example, a Shakespearean play title has appeared as follows: “There is an ongoing viability to the aggregate of human enterprises that attain a terminal configuration without being adversely impacted.”

The noncircumlocutional title is, "All’s Well That Ends Well."

Someone who uses excessive sesquipedalian terminology; that is, anyone who is unclear in his or her speech or writing.

1. A roundabout and unnecessarily wordy; rambling, meandering, verbosity, prolixity (boring verboseness).
2. An expression of something in more words than are necessary.

A cartoon's expressions of being circumlocutory

Hobbes: How are you doing on your new year's resolutions?

Calvin: I didn't make any. See, in order to improve oneself, one must have some idea of what's "good". That implies certain values. But as we all know, values are relative. Every system of belief is equally valid and we need to tolerate diversity. Virtue isn't "better" than vice. It's just different.

Hobbes: I don't know if I can tolerate that much tolerance.

Calvin: I refuse to be victimized by notions of virtuous behavior.

A speaking or conversing together; a conference; a mutual discourse.

1. One of the speakers in a dialogue.
2. Any of the people engaged in a conversation

1. A way of speaking that requires a command of one’s gestures or voice: While speaking to the audience at the ceremony, Mr. Smart’s elocution showed much competency and captured the complete attention of everybody.
2. The art of speaking clearly and well, with correct enunciations: As a part of her teacher education, Lucy took a course in elocution so she could make herself easily understandable by her future students. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A style of speaking especially in public.
2. Pertaining to elocution or to public speaking; rhetorical.

1. A public speaker trained in voice production, gesture, and delivery.
2. Someone who practices or teaches elocution.

Pertaining to oratorical expression.

A discussion or conversation involving two or more people; a conversation.

1. A participant in a discussion or conversation.
2. Someone who takes part in a conversation, often formally or officially.
3. The man in the middle of the line of performers in a minstrel troupe, who acts as the announcer and banters (lighthearted teasing or amusing remarks) with the end men.

1. A statement issued provisionally during a lawsuit; such as, an interlocutory decree.
2. Pronounced or decided during the course of an action, or suit, and merely temporary or provisional in nature.
3. Involving or characteristic of a conversation or a discussion.

1. A phrase or expression typically used by a group of people.
2. A particular word, phrase, or expression; especially, one that is used by a particular person or group.
3. Style of speaking; phraseology; the way in which someone speaks.