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Nerd Word of the Day

Big, juicy ten-dollar words with stories worth knowing. Meet today’s word, trace its roots, and wander through the recent archive.

Today’s word

sesquipedalian

ses-kwi-puh-DAY-lee-uhn · adjective, noun

Given to using long words, or describing a word that is unusually long.

From Latin sesquipedalis, literally “a foot and a half long,” formed from sesqui- (“one and a half”) and pes, pedis (“foot”).

“His sesquipedalian toast made the wedding guests reach for their dictionaries.”

It is a delightfully long word for the habit of reaching for delightfully long words.

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Recent words

Revisit the last two weeks of big, beautiful vocabulary.

  1. sesquipedalianGiven to using long words, or describing a word that is unusually long.
  2. garrulousExcessively talkative, especially about trivial matters.
  3. perspicaciousHaving a keen ability to notice and understand things.
  4. sesquipedalianismThe use of long words, especially when shorter words would do.
  5. ephemeralLasting for a very short time.
  6. apricityThe warmth of the sun in winter.
  7. ineffableToo great, beautiful, or powerful to be expressed in words.
  8. farragoA confused mixture or jumble.
  9. raconteurA person skilled at telling stories in an interesting or amusing way.
  10. bibliophileA person who loves or collects books.
  11. tintinnabulationThe ringing or sound of bells.
  12. pulchritudePhysical beauty.
  13. onomatopoeiaThe naming of a thing or action by a word that imitates its sound.
  14. ellipsisThe omission of a word or phrase understood from context; also, the punctuation mark (…) showing an omission or pause.