floccinaucinihilipilification
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English
Etymology
A jocular coinage, apparently by students at Eton, combining a number of roughly synonymous Latin stems. Latin flocci, from floccus, a wisp or piece of wool + nauci, from naucum, a trifle + nihili, from the Latin pronoun, nihil (“nothing”) + pili, from pilus, a hair, something insignificant (all therefore having the sense of "pettiness" or "nothing") + -fication. "Flocci non facio" was a Latin expression of indifference, literally "I do not make a straw of...".
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˌflɒksɪˌnɒsɪˌnɪhɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, /ˌflɒksɪˌnɔːsɪˌnaɪɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, SAMPA: /%flQksI%nQsI&nIhIlI%pIlIfI"keIS@n/, /%flQksI%nO:sI%naIIlI%pIlIfI"keIS@n/
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Noun
floccinaucinihilipilification (uncountable)
- The act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant.
- 1741: William Shenstone, Letters,
- I loved him for nothing so much as his flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money.
- 1970: Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander,
- There is a systematic flocci-nauci-nihili-pilification of all other aspects of existence that angers me.
- 1741: William Shenstone, Letters,
Usage notes
Often cited as the longest non-technical word in the English language, being one letter longer than the commonly-cited antidisestablishmentarianism.
