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sesquipedalianism

Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The condition of being sesquipedalian; the practice of using, or fondness for using, long words; also, a long word, or a style abounding in long words.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Sesquipedality.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The practice of using long, sometimes obscure, words in speech or writing.
  • noun countable A very long word.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Surface form analyzed as sesquipedalian +‎ -ism, from sesqui- (“one and a half”) +‎ pedalian (“of the foot”).

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Examples

  • The joys of semifundamental sesquipedalianism.readeryQuote

    The Volokh Conspiracy » “Writing to Impress Rather than Inform” 2009

  • (I may be accused of sesquipedalianism though, hope so)

    In A Sentence Newmania 2007

  • All this sesquipedalianism is causing a contraction of my neurological blood vessels which will inevitably lead to the disruption of my suprachiasmatic nucleus affecting my endogenous circadian rhythms.

    Death Notice: Horst Tappert Arbogast 2008

  • It goes beyond mere sesquipedalianism to the Lexiphanic.

    I think I've found the ultimate in anti-Palin gas-baggery. Ann Althouse 2008

  • They're unavoidable in a breezy popular book, but the style of this book is so annoying that he gives sesquipedalianism a bad name.

    languagehat.com: MORE BAD WRITING. 2004

  • Sorry for the sesquipedalianism, and my apologies to those who suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. heh heh heh .... love ya Rex, even with all yer far right winger warts that you grew during the Bush Years.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 2009

  • Sorry for the sesquipedalianism, and my apologies to those who suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. heh heh heh .... love ya Rex, even with all yer far right winger warts that you grew during the Bush Years.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 2009

  • Then again, even the White Queen would have trouble believing that embracing a system of sesquipedalianism will make everything right with the world.

    [Help] Most Recent Posts dickwa 2008

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