entry
sesquipedalian
/ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən/Using or containing unusually long, polysyllabic words
From Latin sesqui (One and a half times) + Latin pedal (Foot).
from Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin sēsquipedālis (literally “a foot and a half long”)
from Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin sēsquipedālis (literally “a foot and a half long”)
from Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin sesquipedalia "a foot-and-a-half long,"
+1 more sourceA sesquipedalian word is, in the most literal sense, long enough to stretch a foot and a half—an image of language turned into a measuring tape. The recipe comes from Latin: sēsqui meant “one and a half,” while pedālis meant “of the foot.” Horace made the phrase sesquipedalia verba famous in the first century BCE in his Ars Poetica, warning poets about “words a foot and a half long”—a wonderfully overgrown phrase that performs exactly what it describes. English first used sesquipedalian in the 1610s for something physically lengthy, then applied it to words by the 1650s. So when someone uses a towering term where a small one would do, the word itself arrives wearing linguistic platform shoes.
The Story
A sesquipedalian word is, in the most literal sense, long enough to stretch a foot and a half—an image of language turned into a measuring tape. The recipe comes from Latin: sēsqui meant “one and a half,” while pedālis meant “of the foot.” Horace made the phrase sesquipedalia verba famous in the first century BCE in his Ars Poetica, warning poets about “words a foot and a half long”—a wonderfully overgrown phrase that performs exactly what it describes. English first used sesquipedalian in the 1610s for something physically lengthy, then applied it to words by the 1650s. So when someone uses a towering term where a small one would do, the word itself arrives wearing linguistic platform shoes.
Modern Usage
A very large, overly elaborate, or unnecessarily long word; sometimes used humorously or pejoratively
Kin & Kindred
From 'sesqui'·One and a half times; half as much again
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'pedal'·Foot; of or measuring a foot
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From '-ian'·Relating to; a person associated with
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary