Sesquipedalism is the use of excessively long words in literature, often for humorous effect. The term originates from the Latin phrase “sesqui pedalia verba” meaning “words a foot and a half long”. Examples include “antidisestablishmentarianism” and “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis”. Language enthusiasts and professionals often use sesquipedal words, with some attempting to set new records. The longest alternative to “sesquipedalism” is “hyperpolysyllabic sesquipedalism”, while “hippopotamusmonrosesquipedaliophobia” means “the fear of extremely long words”.
Sesquipedalism is a literary term for the extravagant use of overly long words. “Sesquipedalian” literally means “words a foot and a half long.” It is a form of self-referential linguistic joke, since the word “sesquipedalism” itself is a very long word. The English language has a plethora of such multisyllabic words, most of which are used for humorous or flashy effect. These include words like “anti-disestablishmentarianism” that rarely, if ever, come up in casual conversation.
The phrase sesquipedalia verba was coined by the Roman humorist Horace in the 1st century BC. Horace was making fun of another writer’s habit of using long words. The Latin term sesqui means “one and a half” and ped means foot; hence, words a foot and a half long. Horace’s sentence was translated into English in 1, according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), a standard reference for the use of the language. The OED states that the word “sesquipedalism” was first recorded in 1650.
Some sesquipedal words are created by adding multiple prefixes and suffixes to otherwise ordinary terms. This is the case with ‘antidisestablishmentarianism’, a term used in the conflict over the state establishment of religion in 19th century Britain. The word, with 12 syllables comprising 28 letters, is considered the longest unscientific word in the English language. Only a few scientific terms are longer in length; the most famous is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, a lung disease caused by the inhalation of volcanic dust. However, this word is much more likely to appear in discussions of sesquipedalism than in medical treatises.
Word enthusiasts and language professionals are the most likely users of sesquipedal words. American writer and political activist William F. Buckley was known for his use of very long words, even when he was writing spy novels for the popular market. In the 1930s adventures of pulp fiction hero Doc Savage, supporting character Johnny Littlejohn was a famous sesquipedalist. In times of crisis, Johnny was prone to using improbable phrases such as “I’ll be super-amalgamated!” Most sesquipedalian phrases are also used for humorous effect.
Like many hobbyists, language lovers are inclined to try and outdo each other and set new records. So for word lovers who think the word “sesquipedalian” is too short, there is an even longer alternative. The word is “hyperpolysyllabic sesquipedalism” and means the same thing as “sesquipedalism”; while real, it clearly exists only to inflate sesquipedalism to new heights of absurdity. For those who feel that all this is too much, there is the word “hippopotamusmonrosesquipedaliophobia”. It means “the fear of extremely long words”.
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