Dictionary.com

sesquipedalian

[ ses-kwi-pi-dey-lee-uhn, -deyl-yuhn ]
/ ˌsɛs kwɪ pɪˈdeɪ li ən, -ˈdeɪl yən /
Save This Word!

adjective Also ses·quip·e·dal [ses-kwip-i-dl]. /sɛsˈkwɪp ɪ dl/.
given to using long words.
(of a word) containing many syllables.
noun
a sesquipedalian word.

VIDEO FOR SESQUIPEDALIAN

These Long Words Are Nearly Impossible To Pronounce

Dictionary.com presents another episode in our "Words That Are Really Hard to Pronounce!" series! It's time for the long words. Can you pronounce them correctly?

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

Origin of sesquipedalian

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin sesquipedālis “measuring a foot and a half ”(see sesqui-, pedal) + -ian

OTHER WORDS FROM sesquipedalian

ses·qui·pe·dal·i·ty [ses-kwi-pi-dal-i-tee], /ˌsɛs kwɪ pɪˈdæl ɪ ti/, ses·qui·pe·da·li·an·ism, ses·quip·e·dal·ism [ses-kwip-i-dl-iz-uhm, ‐kwi-peed-l-iz-uhm], /sɛsˈkwɪp ɪ dlˌɪz əm, ‐kwɪˈpid lˌɪz əm/, nounun·ses·qui·pe·da·li·an, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sesquipedalian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sesquipedalian

sesquipedalian

less commonly sesquipedal (sɛsˈkwɪpədəl)

/ (ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən) /

adjective
tending to use very long words
(of words or expressions) long and ponderous; polysyllabic
noun
a polysyllabic word

Derived forms of sesquipedalian

sesquipedalianism, noun

Word Origin for sesquipedalian

C17: from Latin sēsquipedālis of a foot and a half (coined by Horace in Ars Poetica), from sesqui- + pedālis of the foot, from pēs foot
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK