WikiWord

English

sesquipedalianism

/sɛz.kwɪ.pəˈdɛl.i.ən.ɪsm̩/ · noun

Meaning

  1. A very long word.
  2. The practice of using long, sometimes obscure, words in speech or writing.

Etymology / origin

Surface form analyzed as sesquipedalian + -ism, from sesqui- (“one and a half”) + pedalian (“of the foot”). From Latin sēsquipedālis (“a foot and a half long; in metaphorical use, “of an unnatural length, huge, big””), from sēsqui (“one and a half times as great”) + pedālis (“foot”).

Sources

No citations have been attached yet.