hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian

/ˌhɪpəˌpɒtəˌmɒnstɹəˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən/

adjective

Of or pertaining to extremely long words.

OriginLatin monstrum →
Scrabble 53
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Meanings

adjectivehippopotomonstrosesquipedalian (comparative more hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian, superlative most hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian)

comparative more hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian · superlative most hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian

  1. Of or pertaining to extremely long words.

    […] a forty-five-letter hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian word for black lung disease.

    2006, Richard Lederer, Word Wizard: Super Bloopers, Rich Reflections, and Other Acts of Word Magic
    2 more examples

    To indulge in hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian tergiversation is not to show your erudition: rather, it is to be superficial.

    1997, Steven George Krantz, A primer of mathematical writing

    And when it comes to language, short, simple words often have more impact and power than multisyllabic, hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian ones.

    2005, Greg Vaughn, Fred Holmes, Letters from Dad

Origin

  1. Latinmonstrum
  2. Englishhippopotomonstrosesquipedalian

An extension of sesquipedalian using a modified form of hippopotamus and Latin monstrum, with the extensions almost certainly chosen with the intention of making the new construct autological.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian

MLA

“hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian.

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