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What does sesquipedalian mean?
What is SESQUIPEDALIAN writing?
Why is SESQUIPEDALIAN a good word?
How do you use the adjective sesquipedalian?
1. : having many syllables : long. sesquipedalian terms. 2. : given to or characterized by the use of long words. a sesquipedalian television commentator. Did you know?
1 Focus: Sesquipedalian emphasizes the use of long and complex words, while loquacious emphasizes the quantity and frequency of speech. 2 Tone: Sesquipedalian has a more formal and academic tone, while loquacious has a more casual and conversational tone.
- Definition of Sesquipedalian
- Examples of Sesquipedalian in Literature
- Function of Sesquipedalian
Sesquipedalian is derived from the Latin word sesquipedalis, which means the words are a footand a half long. It is a stylistic device, defined as the use of words that are very long and have several syllables. In other words, sesquipedalian writing or speech involves the overuse of long syllabic (multisyllabic) words, or excessive use of extraordi...
Example #1: Finnegans
There are many sesquipedalian examples in this James Joyce book. Joyce has used words up to hundred letters long in this novel. In this excerpt, he has used one of the most famous long words in the first line. This word supposedly represents a symbolic thunderclap linked with the fall of Adam and Eve.
Example #2: Chrononhotonthologos
This is a very good example of sesquipedalian, as Carey has coined long syllabic words. Here, the opening line, and then the second to the last line, contain multisyllabic words that are very long coinages that give a humorous effect.
Example #3: Love’s Labour’s Lost
Shakespeare used a 27-letter long word, honorificabilitudinitatibus, as shown in bold. It means the capability to be honored, and is considered as one of the longest words in literature.
The English language has an abundance of sesquipedalian words, which are often used to add humorous effect. The most likely users of such words are language professionals and word hobbyists. Many language lovers and hobbyists are prone to attempt topping one another in order to set new records using these words and devising them. It is also used as...
Use the adjective sesquipedalian to describe a word that's very long and multisyllabic. For example the word sesquipedalian is in fact sesquipedalian. Sesquipedalian can also be used to describe someone or something that overuses big words, like a philosophy professor or a chemistry textbook.
sesquipedalian in British English. (ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən ) or less commonly sesquipedal (sɛsˈkwɪpədəl ) adjective. 1. tending to use very long words. 2. (of words or expressions) long and ponderous; polysyllabic. noun. 3.
What does the word sesquipedalian mean? There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the word sesquipedalian . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
A predilection by the intelligentsia to engage in the manifestation of prolix exposition through a buzzword disposition form of communication notwithstanding the availability of more comprehensible, punctiliously applicable, diminutive alternatives. Also known as "gross verbosity".
