Sesquipedalian

Definition

Characterized by long, multisyllabic words; long-winded or grandiloquent in speech or writing. The term itself is famously sesquipedalian, being unnecessarily elaborate to describe verbosity.

Example Usage

His sesquipedalian lecture on medieval philosophy lost half the audience in the first five minutes.

Origin

From Latin sesquipedalian, literally 'a foot and a half long,' used by Horace to describe unnecessarily long words.

Fun Fact

The word appears in Jonathan Swift's 'A Tale of a Tub' and became a favorite of English literature snobs.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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