bomphiologia

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noun

Exaggeration done in a self-aggrandizing manner, as a braggart; pompous, bombastic speech wherein small or trivial things are described with great, gasping words.

OriginAncient Greek βόμβος →
Scrabble 22
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Meanings

nounbomphiologia (uncountable)
  1. rhetoricuncountableExaggeration done in a self-aggrandizing manner, as a braggart; pompous, bombastic speech wherein small or trivial things are described with great, gasping words.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekβόμβος“buzzing, booming”
  2. Englishbomphiologia

Coined by Richard Sherry in his 1550 Treatise of Schemes & Tropes as the Greek equivalent of Latin verborum bombus (“booming of words”). From Ancient Greek βόμβος (bómbos, “buzzing, booming”) + perhaps φημί (phēmí, “to speak”) or a play on bombast. The -logia suffix suggests "the speaking of booming words".

More words from Ancient Greek

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Cite this entry
APA

bomphiologia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bomphiologia

MLA

“bomphiologia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bomphiologia. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bomphiologia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bomphiologia.

Source: bomphiologia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.