Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The condition or property of being sesquipedalian; hence, the condition of being over-large.
- noun The practice of using long words.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The quality or condition of being sesquipedal.
- noun The use of sesquipedalian words; style characterized by the use of long words; sesquipedalism.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun An instance or condition of being
sesquipedalian .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun using long words
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word sesquipedality.
Examples
-
Benjamin Franklin Bache the grandson of his namesake referred to the short and dumpy Adams in his newspaper, Aurora, as "His Rotundity," whose appearance was so much "sesquipedality of belly."
Gingrich and the History of Negative Campaigns John Steele Gordon 2012
-
He taxed Adams for obesity, referring to him as "His Rotundity," the possessor of a "sesquipedality of belly."
Founders Chic 2003
-
He taxed Adams for obesity, referring to him as "His Rotundity," the possessor of a "sesquipedality of belly."
Founders Chic 2003
-
Slop, of about four feet and a half perpendicular height, with a breadth of back, and a sesquipedality of belly, which might have done honour to a serjeant in the horse-guards.
-
Slop, of about four feet and a half perpendicular height, with a breadth of back, and a sesquipedality of belly, which might have done honour to a serjeant in the horse-guards.
-
Why, Dr. Slop's abdominal sesquipedality was sylph-like grace to the Lambertian girth she displays.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 100, February, 1866 Various
-
Would you have thought that so much sesquipedality could die?
-
"The sesquipedality of that word is trying to all of us, I fancy, and I am in the same box as the lady; for I am as sure as she is that I don't know the meaning of the word," added the professor.
Asiatic Breezes Students on The Wing Oliver Optic 1859
-
His height was certainly not remarkable; but his width of shoulder -- his sesquipedality of stomach -- and obesity of calf -- these were unique!
Rookwood William Harrison Ainsworth 1843
-
Imagine to yourself a little squat, uncourtly figure of a Doctor Slop, of about four feet and a half perpendicular height, with a breadth of back, and a sesquipedality of belly, which might have done honour to a serjeant in the horseguards. ...
Literary Remains, Volume 1 Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1803
1538619586 commented on the word sesquipedality
sesquipedality is a word that I got off of
random word. "The practice of using long words."
December 9, 2010