Link Centre Dictionary

sesquipedalian

ses·qui·pe·dalian

UK/ˌsɛs.kwɪ.pɪˈdeɪ.lɪ.ən/ uncommon
noun (1) adjective (2)

noun

1.

a very long word (a foot and a half long)

Synonyms

adjective

1.

given to the overuse of long words

  • “sesquipedalian orators”
  • “this sesquipedalian way of saying one has no money”
Similar
2.

(of words) long and ponderous; having many syllables

  • “sesquipedalian technical terms”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From sesquipedal + -ian (adjective- and noun-forming suffix), root from Latin sēsquipedālis (literally “a foot and a half long”), from Latin sēsqui (“one and a half times”) + Latin pedālis (“measuring a foot, foot (relational)”) (an adjective from pēs (“foot”)).

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.