Art of Eloquence Blog — sesquipedalian RSS



Word of the Week: sesquipedalian

sesquipedalian \ses-kwuh-puh-DAYL-yuhn\ (adjective) - 1 : Given to or characterized by the use of long words. 2 : Long and ponderous; having many syllables. (noun) - A long word. "Because my father was a professor, I early picked up a sesquipedalian way of speaking." -- Damon Knight, 'A Science Fiction Argosy' Sesquipedalian comes from Latin sesquipedalis, "a foot and a half long, hence inordinately long," from sesqui, "one half more, half as much again" + pes, ped-, "a foot." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is it always desirable to use large, complicated, obscure or technical terms?  While having a large vocabulary is important for good communication, it isn't always effective to use.  Here are a list of circumstances in which it is NOT effective...

Continue reading →