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soliloquy

 - 3 dictionary results

so⋅lil⋅o⋅quy

  [suh-lil-uh-kwee]
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–noun, plural -quies.
1. an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present (often used as a device in drama to disclose a character's innermost thoughts): Hamlet's soliloquy begins with “To be or not to be.”
2. the act of talking while or as if alone.
Origin:
1595–1605; < LL sōliloquium a talking to oneself, soliloquy, equiv. to sōli- soli- 1 + loqu(ī) to speak + -ium -ium; see -y 3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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so·lil·o·quy   (sə-lĭl'ə-kwē)   
n.   pl. so·lil·o·quies

    1. A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener.

    2. A specific speech or piece of writing in this form of discourse.

  2. The act of speaking to oneself.


[Late Latin sōliloquium : Latin sōlus, alone; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + Latin loquī, to speak; see tolkw- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

soliloquy 
1604, from L.L. soliloquium "a talking to oneself," from L. solus "alone" + loqui "speak." First used in translation of L. "Liber Soliloquiorum," a treatise by Augustine, who is said to have coined the word, on analogy of Gk. monologia (see monologue). Verb soliloquize is recorded from 1759.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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