glossolalia

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Speaking a language one does not know, or speaking elaborate but apparently meaningless speech, while in a trance-like state (or, supposedly, under the influence of a deity or spirits); speaking in tongues.
  2. Synonym of xenoglossy (“knowledge of a language one has never learned”).

Pronunciation

/ˌɡlɒsəˈleɪliə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-glossolalia.wav /ˌɡlɑsəˈleɪliə/

Word forms

glossolalia glossolalias

Etymology

From glosso- + -lalia, from Ancient Greek γλῶσσᾰ (glôssă, “tongue; language”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *glōgʰs) + λᾰλῐᾱ́ (lălĭā́, “talking; form of speech, dialect”) (from λᾰ́λος (lắlos, “talkative”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns)).

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