polysyllabic

American  

[pol-ee-si-lab-ik] / ˌpɒl i sɪˈlæb ɪk /

Sometimes polysyllabical

adjective

1. consisting of several, especially four or more, syllables, as a word.

2. characterized by such words, as a language, piece of writing, etc.

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polysyllabic British  

/ ˌpɒlɪsɪˈlæbɪk /

adjective

1. consisting of more than two syllables

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Other Word Forms

• hyperpolysyllabic
  adjective
• hyperpolysyllabically
  adverb
• polysyllabically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of polysyllabic

1650–60; < Medieval Latin polysyllab ( us ) of many syllables (< Greek polysýllabos ) + -ic. See poly-, syllabic

Explanation

Polysyllabic words have many syllables. The word librarian is polysyllabic, but the word book is not. You can use the polysyllabic word polysyllabic for a word with more than one syllable, but it generally refers to words with more than three, like hippopotamus and misunderstanding. Sometimes people also describe long speeches or books full of unnecessarily big words as polysyllabic: "I got very sleepy listening to his polysyllabic lecture on philosophy." The Greek roots of this word are poly-, "many," and syllabe, "a syllable."

Example Sentences

All the other Tongues of the Globe are Polysyllabic.

From Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human Race by Johnes, Arthur James

The same line separates the Monosyllabic and Polysyllabic Languages.

From Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human Race by Johnes, Arthur James

Here the Monosyllabic and Polysyllabic languages branch off from a common centre.

From Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human Race by Johnes, Arthur James