hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian
English
Etymology
An extension of sesquipedalian using a modified form of hippopotamus and (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin monstrum; the extensions almost certainly chosen with the intention of making the new construct autological.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌhɪpəˌpɒtəˌmɒnstɹəˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən/
Audio (US, Northern California): (file) Audio (US, Kansas): (file)
Adjective
hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian (comparative more hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian, superlative most hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian)
- Of or pertaining to extremely long words[1].
- 1997, Steven George Krantz, A primer of mathematical writing:
- To indulge in hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian tergiversation is not to show your erudition: rather, it is to be superficial.
- 2005, Greg Vaughn, Fred Holmes, Letters from Dad
- And when it comes to language, short, simple words often have more impact and power than multisyllabic, hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian ones.
- 2006, Richard Lederer, Word Wizard: Super Bloopers, Rich Reflections, and Other Acts of Word Magic:
- ...a forty-five-letter hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian word for black lung disease.
Related terms
References
- ^ Mrs. Byrne [Josefa Heifetz Byrne] (1979) “hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian”, in Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and Preposterous Words: Gathered from Numerous and Diverse Authoritative Sources, London: Granada Publishing, →ISBN.