Sesquipedalian

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˌsɛs.kwɪ.pɪˈdeɪ.lɪ.ən/

Definitions

1. Marked by pompous or grandiose language that is unnecessarily lengthy and difficult to understand
2. Employing excessively elongated words and ornate phrasing in a manner that obscures rather than clarifies meaning
3. Using unusually long and often complicated words in writing or speech ; described by the presence of lengthy and elaborate vocabulary

Etymology: The most famous thing about this word is the joke built into it. The Latin "sēsquipedālis" meant "a foot and a half long", from "sēsqui" ("one and a half times") and "pedālis" ("measuring a foot", from "pēs", "foot"). Latin writers used it for things of unusual length, and the sense of something oversized is the original one. The image of a foot-and-a-half word is a playful bit of self-reference: a term describing long words is itself a long word. English took the Latin adjective and built "sesquipedal" from it, then added the suffix "-ian", which forms adjectives and nouns, to get the form used today. The result is a word that both describes and enacts its own meaning, which is why it is so often quoted in discussions of style.

Synonyms: polysyllabic, long-winded, verbose, grandiloquent, loquacious

Antonyms: concise, succinct, terse, brief, pithy