sesquipedalianism

UK/sɛz.kwɪ.pəˈdɛl.i.ən.ɪsm̩/US/ˌsɛskwəpəˈdeɪli.ənɪzm̩/

noun

The practice of using long, sometimes obscure, words in speech or writing.

OriginLatin sēsquipedālis →
Scrabble 31
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Meanings

nounsesquipedalianism (countable and uncountable, plural sesquipedalianisms)

plural sesquipedalianisms

  1. uncountableThe practice of using long, sometimes obscure, words in speech or writing.

    His voice here is a marvelous juxtaposition of cool elegance, unaffected hipness, unabashed sesquipedalianism ("the rich bouquet of exuded sebaceousness") and swell conversational slang (...)

    1995, Michael Cart, From Romance to Realism, →ISBN, page 257
  2. countableA very long word.

Origin

  1. Latinsēsquipedālis“a foot and a half long; in metaphorical use, “of an unnatural length, huge, big””
  2. Englishsesquipedalianism

Surface form analyzed as sesquipedalian + -ism, from sesqui- (“one and a half”) + pedalian (“of the foot”). From Latin sēsquipedālis (“a foot and a half long; in metaphorical use, “of an unnatural length, huge, big””), from sēsqui (“one and a half times as great”) + pedālis (“foot”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sesquipedalianism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sesquipedalianism

MLA

“sesquipedalianism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sesquipedalianism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sesquipedalianism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sesquipedalianism.

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