Balāgha, meaning eloquence or clarity of speech, particularly poetical speech; the term comes from the phrase balagha al-kalām, ‘the speech reached [its addressee]’. It is used in a technical sense to denote the correspondence of speech to the ability of the listener to appreciate it, or to the requirements of a given situation. The term is also used adjectivally (balīgh) to denote a speaker possessed of the ability to produce eloquent speech (al-Khaṭīb, 1/72, 79–80).