sesquipedalian

sesquipedalian
1. noun /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən/
a) A person who uses long words.
b) A long word.
2. adjective /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən/

More people know the sesquipedalian word "antidisestablishmentarianism" than know what it means.

b) Pertaining to or given to the use of overly long words.

Our dinner guest was so sesquipedalian that no one could understand what he said.


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  • sesquipedalian — I adjective grandiloquent, lengthy, long, magniloquent, multisyllabic, pedantic, sonorous II index turgid Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • sesquipedalian — 1610s, from L. sesquipedalia verba words a foot and a half long, in Horace s Ars Poetica (97), nicely illustrating the thing he is criticizing, from sesqui half as much again (see SESQUICENTENNIAL (Cf. sesquicentennial)) + pes foot (see FOOT (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • sesquipedalian — [seskwip′ə dəlses΄kwi pə dā′lē ən, ses΄kwipə dāl′yən] adj. [< L sesquipedalis, of a foot and a half < sesqui (see SESQUI ) + pedalis < pes (gen. pedis), a FOOT] 1. measuring a foot and a half 2. very long: said of words 3. using, or… …   English World dictionary

  • sesquipedalian — I noun a very long word (a foot and a half long) • Syn: ↑sesquipedalia • Hypernyms: ↑polysyllable, ↑polysyllabic word II adjective 1. given to the overuse of long words …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sesquipedalian — Sesquipedal Ses*quip e*dal, Sesquipedalian Ses qui*pe*da li*an, a. [Sesqui + pedal: cf. F. sesquip[ e]dal, L. sesquipedalis.] Measuring or containing a foot and a half; as, a sesquipedalian pygmy; sometimes humorously applied to long words. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sesquipedalian — adjective Etymology: Latin sesquipedalis, literally, a foot and a half long, from sesqui + ped , pes foot more at foot Date: 1656 1. having many syllables ; long < sesquipedalian terms > 2. given to or characterized by the use of long words < a… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • sesquipedalian — [17] Sesquipedalian means etymologically ‘a foot and a half long’. Its use in English was inspired by the Roman poet Horace’s phrase sesquipedalia verba, literally ‘words a foot and a half long’, hence ‘preposterously long words that sound… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • sesquipedalian — /ˌsɛskwipəˈdeɪliən/ (say .seskweepuh dayleeuhn) adjective 1. measuring a foot and a half. 2. (of words or expressions) very long: *it had been an entertainment for my seniors in my infancy to tutor me in a sesquipedalian vocabulary, so we… …  

  • sesquipedalian — [17] Sesquipedalian means etymologically ‘a foot and a half long’. Its use in English was inspired by the Roman poet Horace’s phrase sesquipedalia verba, literally ‘words a foot and a half long’, hence ‘preposterously long words that sound… …   Word origins

  • sesquipedalian — sesquipedality /ses kwi pi dal i tee/, sesquipedalianism, sesquipedalism /ses kwip i dl iz euhm, kwi peed l iz euhm/, n. /ses kwi pi day lee euhn, dayl yeuhn/, adj. Also, sesquipedal /ses kwip i dl/. 1. given to using long words. 2. (of a word)… …   Universalium

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