Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sesquipedalianism

/ˌsɛskwəpəˈdeɪli.ənɪzm̩/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: sesquipedalian-ism
IPA: /ˌsɛskwəpəˈdeɪli.ənɪzm̩/

31

Scrabble Score

17

Letters

2

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The practice of using long, sometimes obscure, words in speech or writing.

Uncountable

noun

A very long word.

Countable

Example Sentences

"His voice here is a marvelous juxtaposition of cool elegance, unaffected hipness, unabashed sesquipedalianism ("the rich bouquet of exuded sebaceousness") and swell conversational slang (...)"

Etymology

Surface form analyzed as sesquipedalian + -ism, from sesqui- (“one and a half”) + pedalian (“of the foot”). From Latin sēsquipedālis (“a foot and a half long; in metaphorical use, “of an unnatural length, huge, big””), from sēsqui (“one and a half times as great”) + pedālis (“foot”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Prefix: sesquipedalian, sesqui-
Root: sēsquipedālis
Suffix: -ism, pedalian

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌsɛskwəpəˈdeɪli.ənɪzm̩/
British English: /sɛz.kwɪ.pəˈdɛl.i.ən.ɪsm̩/

Usage

Inflected Forms

sesquipedalianisms (plural)

Phrases

sesqui-

Frequently Paired Words

sesqui- sesquipedal sesquipedian sesquipedalian

Questions

How do you pronounce sesquipedalianism?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌsɛskwəpəˈdeɪli.ənɪzm̩/.
What does sesquipedalianism mean?: The practice of using long, sometimes obscure, words in speech or writing.
Where does sesquipedalianism come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce sesquipedalianism

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