bloviate (English)

Where does "bloviate" come from?

The English verb 'bloviate', meaning to speak or discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner[1], first appeared in the United States in Ohio in 1845[1]. It was formed from the word 'blow', meaning to speak idly or boast, combined with the connecting element '-i-' and the verbal suffix '-ate'[1]. This formation was created by analogy with the word 'deviate'[1].

Full etymology tree

• bloviate (English), 'To speak or discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner.'
  • affix blow (English), 'To produce an air current.'
  • suffix -ate (English), 'forms adjectives with meaning "having the specified thing"'

Ancestors

• blow (English)
• -i- (English)
• -ate (English)

Descendants and derived words

• bloviatingly (English)
• bloviation (English)
• bloviative (English)
• bloviator (English)
• bloviatory (English)

Sources

1. bloviate (English) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris