sesquipedalian

[ses-kwi-pi-dey-lee-uh n, -deyl-yuh n]

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.

Nearby words

Origin of sesquipedalian

1605–15; < Latin sēsquipedālis measuring a foot and a half (see sesqui-, pedal) + -an

Related formsses·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-uh m, ‐kwi-peed-l-iz-uh m] /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. 2019

Examples from the Web for sesquipedalian

Fact was, he had monologued it in his most sesquipedalian phraseology.
Memories and Anecdotes|Kate Sanborn
I felt satisfied it was a friendly one; and was now more anxious than ever of overtaking its sesquipedalian owner.
The Wild Huntress|Mayne Reid
He was indebted to a ruse of Aunt Margaret for his historic and sesquipedalian name.
The Cave by the Beech Fork|Henry S. Spalding
The story of any incident, to be realistic, will admit neither of sesquipedalian grandeur nor of grotesque images.
Thackeray|Anthony Trollope

You know I am nothing if not "sesquipedalian" and scientific; and a word of five syllables will do for both qualities.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. III (of 3)|George Eliot

British Dictionary definitions for sesquipedalian

sesquipedalian

less commonly sesquipedal (sɛsˈkwɪpədəl)

adjective

tending to use very long words

(of words or expressions) long and ponderous; polysyllabic

noun

a polysyllabic word

Derived Formssesquipedalianism, 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

Word Origin and History for sesquipedalian

sesquipedalian

1610s, "person or thing a foot and a half long," from Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long," from sesqui- "half as much again" (see sesqui-) + stem of pes "foot" (see foot (n.)). As an adjective 1650s.

Meaning "sesquipedalian word" (1830) is from Latin sesquipedalia verba "words a foot-and-a-half long," in Horace's "Ars Poetica" (97), nicely illustrating the thing he is criticizing.