Verbalism comes from 'verbal' + '-ism'. 'Verbal' derives from Latin 'verbalis' ('consisting of words'), from 'verbum' ('word'). In current use it is a noun meaning "emphasis on words rather than meaning; an empty verbal expression". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The historical chain includes Latin verbalis and Latin verbum. Related English forms include verbal, verbalize, verbiage, and verbose. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.