Rhetoric

How to spell rhetoric

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce rhetoric

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does rhetoric mean?

1. nounThe art of effective or persuasive speaking and writing, often with the implication of language that is showy but lacking substance.

Rhetoric in a sentence

• Her rhetoric was very persuasive.

• Cut through the rhetoric to find the real argument.

• Political rhetoric is rarely subtle.

Where does rhetoric come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word comes from the Greek rhetorike techne, meaning 'the art of the speaker', which was usually shortened simply to rhetorike. It was built on rhetor, the term for a public speaker or orator, which in turn traces back to a root tied to speaking and the flow of words. The ancient Greeks treated rhetoric as a formal discipline, the systematic study of persuasion taught to citizens who needed to argue in court and in public life. The word travelled into Latin as rhetorica and then through Old French as rethorique before settling into English in the 1300s, where the awkward 'rh' spelling was later restored to mirror the Greek original. That silent 'h' tucked behind the 'r' is exactly the trap, since the word sounds like it simply begins with a plain 'r'.

How the word is built

• rhetor- (from Greek rhetor: public speaker)
• -ic (adjective/noun suffix)