floccinaucinihilipilification

English

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Etymology

A jocular coinage, apparently by pupils at Eton, combining a number of roughly synonymous Latin stems. The word was inspired by a line in the Eton Latin Grammar that listed verbs that govern a genitive noun: "Flocci, nauci, nihili, pili, assis, hujus, teruncii, his verbis, aestimo, pendo, facio, peculiariter adduntur." 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.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌflɒksɪˌnɒsɪˌnɪhɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, /ˌflɒksɪˌnɔːsɪˌnaɪɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, X-SAMPA: /%flQksI%nQsI&nIhIlI%pIlIfI"keIS@n/, /%flQksI%nO:sI%naIIlI%pIlIfI"keIS@n/

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Noun

floccinaucinihilipilification (uncountable)

1. The act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant, of having no value or being worthless.
   • 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.

Usage notes

Often cited as the longest non-technical word in the English language, being one letter longer than the commonly-cited antidisestablishmentarianism.

Related terms

• floccinaucinihilipilificate

Translations

act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 把某東西看作是無價值的, 把某东西看作是无价值的 (bǎ mǒu dōngxi kànzuò shì wú jiàzhí de)

• Dutch: geringschatting

• Finnish: vähättely (fi)
• German: Geringschätzung (de) f
• Polish: brak uznania dla.. (pl)