sesquipedalia
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪliə/
- Formal
:
palabras largas
- The word sesquipedalia describes excessively long words.
Examples
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Writers sometimes avoid sesquipedalia to keep their prose clear and accessible.
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The English language has many curious sesquipedalia that appear only in technical texts.
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He enjoyed using sesquipedalia to impress his friends with his vast vocabulary.
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Many people find sesquipedalia confusing.
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In his speech, he used several sesquipedalia that left the audience confused.
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Her tendency to use sesquipedalia made her writing seem overly complicated.
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The professor's lecture was filled with sesquipedalia, which made it hard to follow.
Synonyms
4
7.7
A long word or phrase that is hard to say
1
9.9
A very long word made of many syllables
1
4.8
Using more language than needed in writing or speech
1
7.5
Talking or writing with too many words makes people bored
1
9.9
A habit of using too many words that makes people bored
Use of long words that make speech or writing hard to understand
A long fancy word people use when simple words are enough
The use of too many words that makes speech or writing long and boring
How Long
- Formal
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Etymology
Sesquipedalia comes from Latin parts sesqui- 'one and a half' and ped 'foot'. It originally meant 'a foot and a half long', so a helpful way to remember it is to think of sesquipedalia as 'very long words', and you can see the same ped in familiar words like pedal and pedestrian.