sesquipedalian

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪliən/ UK /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪliən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
given to using long words; characterized by polysyllabic language

His sesquipedalian prose sent readers scrambling for a dictionary.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · given to using long words;... polysyllabic grandiloquent bombastic verbose magniloquentlong-winded

Opposites

terse concise laconic monosyllabic

Word family

Derived forms sesquipedalianismsesquipedality

Related forms sesquipedalia

Etymology

From Latin sesquipedalis ('a foot and a half long'), from sesqui- ('one and a half') and pes, pedis ('foot'). Horace used it figuratively of overlong words (sesquipedalia verba).

sesquipedalis Latin pes Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# sesquipedalian

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪliən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪliən/

## Meanings
1. given to using long words; characterized by polysyllabic language

## Examples
- His sesquipedalian prose sent readers scrambling for a dictionary.

## Synonyms
- polysyllabic
- grandiloquent
- bombastic
- verbose
- magniloquent
- long-winded

## Antonyms
- terse
- concise
- laconic
- monosyllabic

## Derived Forms
- sesquipedalianism
- sesquipedality

## Related Forms
- sesquipedalia

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sesquipedalis
- Root: pes

## Etymology
From Latin sesquipedalis ('a foot and a half long'), from sesqui- ('one and a half') and pes, pedis ('foot'). Horace used it figuratively of overlong words (sesquipedalia verba).

## AI Etymology
Sesquipedalian comes from Latin sesquipedalis ('a foot and a half long'), from sesqui- ('one and a half') and pes, pedis ('foot'). Horace used it figuratively of overlong words (sesquipedalia verba). The historical chain includes Latin sesquipedalis and Latin pes. Older glosses in the chain include "a foot and a half long", "one and a half", and "foot", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, sesquipedalian is best read as borrowing, yielding an English adjective and noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a adjective and noun, with the sense "given to using long words; characterized by polysyllabic language". English derivatives include sesquipedalianism and sesquipedality; related forms include sesquipedalia. The result is an English adjective and noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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