-logue

The combining form -logue is used like a suffix meaning “discourse,” either spoken or written. Discourse means “communication of thought by words.” The form -logue is often used in everyday and technical terms.

The form -logue comes from Greek -logos, meaning “word” or “discourse.” To learn more about logos, you can read our entry on the English word logos here.

What are variants of -logue?

Occasionally, particularly in American English, -logue is spelled without the final -ue, as in analog. Additional related forms include -logic and -logy. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on all three forms.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -logue is monologue, “a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker.” Monologue comes from French monologue, which uses the equivalent of the form -logue in that language.

The mono- part of the word means “alone,” “single,” or “one,” from Greek mónos. As we already know, -logue means “discourse.” Monologue literally translates to “single discourse.”

What are some words that use the equivalent of the combining form -logue in Greek?

• apologue
• dialogue
• homologue
• prologue
• theologue

What are some other forms that -logue may be commonly confused with?

• -glot
• -ling
• -ol
• -ole
• -ule

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -logue, such as catalogue or collogue, is necessarily using the combining form -logue to denote “discourse.” Learn why catalogue means “a complete list of items” at our entry for the word.

The combining form homo- means “same.” With this in mind, what does homologue literally mean?