Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A long word.
- adjective Given to or characterized by the use of long words.
- adjective Long and ponderous; polysyllabic.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Containing or measuring a foot and a half: as, a sesquipedalian pygmy: often humorously said of long words, in translation of Horace's sesquipedalia verba (words a foot and a half long).
- Addicted to the use of long words.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A long word.
- noun A person who uses long words.
- adjective of a word or words
long ;polysyllabic . - adjective Pertaining to or given to the use of overly long words.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective given to the overuse of long words
- adjective (of words) long and ponderous; having many syllables
- noun a very long word (a foot and a half long)
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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"Clarence Thomas, please spell the word sesquipedalian and then use it in a form of a question."
Jihad Monitor 2010
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"Clarence Thomas, please spell the word sesquipedalian and then use it in a form of a question."
Jihad Monitor 2010
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Let his obituary read, "Douglas Martin, a newspaperman who once got the word" sesquipedalian "onto the front page of the New York Times ...."
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From the time the moderator gives the word, let's say it's "sesquipedalian," until your progeny very slowly spells it correctly, doesn't it seem a lifetime?
unknown title DON FARMER CHRIS CURLE 2008
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Professor Edgworth of All Souls, according to Robert Graves, tended towards this kind of sesquipedalian speech.
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I prefer to characterize myself as a sesquipedalian, but I fear that such a characterization is a sham crafted by a hubristic pendant.
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That makes one more sesquipedalian on the internet.
5 Lessons Tiger Woods Could’ve Learned from Watching Star Trek | Fandomania 2010
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Or, perhaps it is a sign that I am sesquipedalian at best and pendantic at worst.
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The first hypothesis to be explored was proposed by no less influential a political observer than columnist George Will, the bow-tied, sesquipedalian voice of American conservatism.
The Fiddler in the Subway Gene Weingarten 2010
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The first hypothesis to be explored was proposed by no less influential a political observer than columnist George Will, the bow-tied, sesquipedalian voice of American conservatism.
The Fiddler in the Subway Gene Weingarten 2010
anotherfailedattempt commented on the word sesquipedalian
I love that the word sesquipedalian is pretty long itself.
December 3, 2006
thecosas commented on the word sesquipedalian
Its a word that describes itself, and chances are that if you know it, it also describes you :o)
December 9, 2006
billifer commented on the word sesquipedalian
thecosas describes it in a very non-sesquipedalian way!
December 23, 2006
arby commented on the word sesquipedalian
Too show-offy for my taste. This is the kind of word people put in crossword puzzles to be cute.
May 19, 2007
fearraigh commented on the word sesquipedalian
Wordy; bad wordy, not good Wordie
June 13, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word sesquipedalian
But it FEELS so good to SAAAAAY... Mmm... sesquipedalian...
October 10, 2007
rocksinmypockets commented on the word sesquipedalian
And it looks good on a Onesie!
October 16, 2007
bilby commented on the word sesquipedalian
"An Australian man facing assault charges for throwing a snowball at a co-worker refused a plea bargain and instead insisted on a trial to clear his name, his mother said.
Andrew Thistleton, who was a seasonal ski shop worker at the Copper Mountain resort last February, says he playfully tossed the snowball at Michelle Oehlert as she and her boyfriend waited for a bus. Prosecutors described the incident as a malicious attack with an "iceball".
A judge yesterday declared a mistrial after Oehlert brought up new allegations during her testimony.
Officials indicated Oehlert said when that Thistleton "tried to make me feel stupid by using big words to make himself feel better - sometimes he'd brush his hand against my behind".
No sexual misconduct allegation was ever discussed before the trial started. The new allegations led to a mistrial being declared and the scheduling of a new trial to start this week." - The Age online, 9 Dec 2007.
December 9, 2007
prasadkdr commented on the word sesquipedalian
sesquipedalian approach to words is the biggest destroyer of true poetry
March 10, 2008
bridiekent commented on the word sesquipedalian
Wordie is sooooooo sesquipedalian. Did someone say that? It seems like someone should have.
June 13, 2008
whichbe commented on the word sesquipedalian
Elitists!
June 13, 2008
dontcry commented on the word sesquipedalian
I just don't know why but whenever I see this word, I see a duck-billed platypus. Maybe it's his feet...
June 14, 2008
bilby commented on the word sesquipedalian
I grew up next to platypus streams and I never saw one in the wild. Might have seen the tail of one. Once.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word sesquipedalian
If the platypuses were streaming, wouldn't you have seen them? And if not, how did you know they were platypus streams?
June 14, 2008
bilby commented on the word sesquipedalian
Because there were signs up saying the streams were protected habitat for platypus breeding, hence no fishing, swimming, etc.
I might have etceteraed once in the creek when no-one was looking *blushes*.
June 14, 2008
yarb commented on the word sesquipedalian
Next time someone points out to me that sesquipedalian is - ha ha! - actually - god this is funny! - a long word!! I think I will poke them in the eye.
A stupid, smug, slapped-arse of a word.
July 1, 2008
sionnach commented on the word sesquipedalian
yarb: have you ever thought about how short is a short word?
July 1, 2008
dontcry commented on the word sesquipedalian
Uh,oh. I sense another eye-punching may be in the offing...
"etceteraed" *snort!*
July 1, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word sesquipedalian
A colleague of mine could not believe I knew this word and its meaning. Oh, wordie...
July 11, 2008
gangerh commented on the word sesquipedalian
Now really blow them away, 'gus, with sesquidedalian! And, of course, schadenfreudgeon.
July 11, 2008
mialuthien commented on the word sesquipedalian
Literally, "one-and-a-half feet".
July 17, 2008
yarb commented on the word sesquipedalian
Can we please have a moratorium on this word.
August 1, 2008
bilby commented on the word sesquipedalian
And icing!
August 2, 2008
dontcry commented on the word sesquipedalian
Mmmmm, icing!
August 2, 2008
yarb commented on the word sesquipedalian
Now that this noisome, beastly word is at the top of the "most-wordied" list, and being picked up by each new user like a dose of the clap at a wartime whorehouse, it seems set fair to infect Wordie, the internet and the entire universe.
August 6, 2008
kalkiwendy commented on the word sesquipedalian
This was my grandmother's very favorite word. It is an inheritance. I dearly love it.
August 10, 2008
bodhi commented on the word sesquipedalian
http://qwantz.com/archive/000257.html
I'm glad we had this little talk!
September 11, 2008
smeggo commented on the word sesquipedalian
Why use a sesquipedalian word when you can opt for a lilliputian one?
October 12, 2008
dimã©lion commented on the word sesquipedalian
it's a conspiracy! boycott this word!
November 23, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word sesquipedalian
I will not! It's very cute on the Wordie.org merch onesie for babies!
November 24, 2008
sionnach commented on the word sesquipedalian
yarb: Have you ever noticed that hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian is itself a *very long word*?
Pretty hilarious, nicht wahr?
November 24, 2008
yarb commented on the word sesquipedalian
*sides split open, head falls off*
November 25, 2008
super-elisa commented on the word sesquipedalian
almost sounds like a reptile.
January 16, 2009
logophilius commented on the word sesquipedalian
Sesquipedalian literally means "a foot and a half long, which begs the question: is anyone making nerd-centric porn?
October 23, 2009
jmjarmstrong commented on the word sesquipedalian
JM is sesquipedalian again today!
March 24, 2011
Logophile77 commented on the word sesquipedalian
I'm ashamed to admit that this made me think of the words Sasquatch, and callipygian.
January 15, 2018