sesquipedalian
1
9.9
A very long word made of many syllables
- noun
- /ˌsɛs.kwɪ.pɪˈdeɪ.li.ən/
- Formal
:
sesquipedal
- Looks like we're shipmates, old sesquipedalian.
Examples
-
In academic writing, it's important to avoid sesquipedalian language that might confuse readers.
-
Perhaps sesquipedalian chemical names just sound dangerous.
Academic text (2002) -
sesquipedalian on September 26, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Blog text (17) -
Wry Johnny Clute, joshingly addressed by his friends as "Mister Sesquipedalian."
Fiction book (2001) -
A popular example of a sesquipedalian word is "antidisestablishmentarianism."
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Many students struggle to spell sesquipedalian words during their vocabulary tests.
Synonyms
polysyllabic word
vssesquipedalian
6.1
A word that has more than three syllables
refers to an unusually long or lengthy word without a strict syllable cutoff
Antonyms
Surface Forms
sesquipedalian singular
sesquipedalians plural
Etymology
Sesquipedalian comes from the Latin parts sesqui- ('one and a half') and ped- ('foot'), so it originally meant 'a foot-and-a-half' long. That's why a sesquipedalian (as a noun) is a very long word — picture a word so long it could measure a foot and a half.