“Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule”.

Stephen King, Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully — in Ten Minutes

Prof.João de Mancelos

 

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

sesquipedality

PRONUNCIATION:

(ses-kwi-pi-DAL-i-tee)

MEANING:

noun: The practice of using long words.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin sesqui- (one and a half) + ped- (foot). First recorded use: 1759.

NOTES:

Literally speaking, sesquipedality is using words that are one and a half feet long. A related word is sesquicentennial (150th anniversary). Nothing wrong with using a sesquipedalian word once in a while, if it fits, but it's best to avoid too many long, polysyllabic words. This dictum doesn't apply to German speakers though, as Mark Twain once observed, "Some German words are so long that they have a perspective."

There's a bean subspecies commonly known as a yardlong bean. It's really misnamed as it's "only" half a yard long. Its scientific name, Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis, is more precise.

USAGE:

"The stories in Oblivion comprise relatively straightforward prose, with textual play and sesquipedality trimmed to the bone."
Tim Feeney; Oblivion; Review of Contemporary Fiction; Jul 2004.

Explore "sesquipedality" in the Visual Thesaurus.