BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati
Senior
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2022
- Messages
- 4,863
sesquipedalianI was just trying to show off my vocabulary for the sesquipedalians in the room.
You sort of dodged answering me directly, which I kind of admire in a non-creepy sort of way.![]()
/ˌseskwəpəˈdālyən/
Sesquipedalian is an adjective describing long, polysyllabic words or a person's tendency to use such words. It can also be a noun for a long word itself. Derived from Latin for "a foot and a half long," it often refers to unnecessary verbosity or complex language.
Usage Examples:
As an adjective: "The professor’s sesquipedalian lecture was difficult to follow".
As a noun: "He is a sesquipedalian, using 'incomprehensibility' when 'hidden' would do".
Context: Used to describe someone "wordy" or to describe the long words themselves.
Synonyms:
Polysyllabic
Long-winded
Verbose
Turgid
Grandiloquent
See @TheOriginalCane
Etymology:
Derived from Latin sēsquipedālis ("of a foot and a half"), coined by Horace to criticize writers using unnecessarily long words