Definition: having many syllables or characterized by long words or syllables.
Example: The sesquipedalian young man found himself unable to find a single syllable with which to respond.
Etymology : from the latin sesquipedalis meaning a foot and a half long, it’s first known English use was in 1656 in Thomas Blount’s Glossographia; or, A Dictionary Interpreting the Hard Words of Whatsoever Language, Now Used in Our Refined English Tongue. It’s first latin appearance is credited to Horace in his work, Ars Poetica (between 19 BCE and 15 BCE).
The French equivalent is Sesquipédalien, with the same meaning.
*text by J.L. Munn, image generated with ChatGPT via prompts by J.L. Munn
