Definition of Sesquipedalian
Sesquipedalian: A long polysyllabic word that means having many syllables or using long words.
From the Latin sesqui- meaning one and a half times + ped, pes meaning foot. In Ars Poetica, the Roman poet Horace cautioned young poets against using "sesquipedalia verba" -- "words a foot and a half long."
For example, Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanosconiosis.
Source: MedTerms™ Medical Dictionaryhttp://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=31625
Last Editorial Review: 9/20/2012
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