sesquipedalian

  • 1sesquipedalian — I adjective grandiloquent, lengthy, long, magniloquent, multisyllabic, pedantic, sonorous II index turgid Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 2sesquipedalian — 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

  • 3sesquipedalian — [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

  • 4sesquipedalian — 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

  • 5Sesquipedalian — 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

  • 6sesquipedalian — 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&#8230; …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 7sesquipedalian — 1. noun /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən/ a) A person who uses long words. b) A long word. 2. adjective /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən/ a) long; polysyllabic. More people know the sesquipedalian word …

    Wiktionary

  • 8sesquipedalian — [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&#8230; …

    The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • 9sesquipedalian — /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&#8230; …

  • 10sesquipedalian — [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&#8230; …

    Word origins