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sesquipedalian

[ ses-kwi-pi-dey-lee-uhn, -deyl-yuhn ]

/ ˌsɛs kwɪ pɪˈdeɪ li ən, -ˈdeɪl yən /

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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.

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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

Words nearby sesquipedalian

sesqui-, sesquialtera, sesquicarbonate, sesquicentennial, sesquioxide, sesquipedalian, sesquiplane, sesquiterpene, Sesshu, sessile, sessile oak

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sesquipedalian in a sentence

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
That colored orator and model letter-writer must look to his sesquipedalian fame.
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 57, No. 1, January 1861|Various
The story of any incident, to be realistic, will admit neither of sesquipedalian grandeur nor of grotesque images.
Thackeray|Anthony Trollope
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

The description of the scene, in somewhat sesquipedalian Latin, is quoted by Spitta, i. 801.
Sebastian Bach|Reginald Lane Poole

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