different between florid vs sesquipedalian

English

Etymology

From French floride (“flourishing”), from Latin floridus (“flowery, blooming”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?fl???d/

Adjective

florid (comparative more florid, superlative most florid)

1. Having a rosy or pale red colour; ruddy.
2. Elaborately ornate; flowery.
3. (of a disorder, especially mental) In a blatant, vivid, or highly disorganized state.

   florid psychosis

   • 2019, Dave Eggers, The Parade, Vintage Books N.Y., p. 107

     His visions of their plans and his imminent detention were so florid that the reality, wherein he was unharmed and simply sitting in the cab of the RS-80 and continuing his slow work on the road, was far less plausible.

4. (obsolete) Flourishing; in the bloom of health.
   • 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, vol I, ch. 35:

     Mean while Peregrine guessing the good fortune of his friend, and allured by the attractions of the maid, who was a cleanly florid girl, employed his address to such effectual purpose, that she yielded to his efforts; and he was as happy as such a conquest could make him.

Translations

Anagrams

• Ilford

German

Etymology

From Latin floridus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [flo??i?t]
• Hyphenation: flo?rid

Adjective

florid (comparative florider, superlative am floridesten)

1. (of a disease) active, florid

Declension

Further reading

• “florid” in Duden online

English

Etymology

From sesquipedal +? -ian (adjective- and noun-forming suffix), root from Latin sesquipedalis (literally “a foot and a half long”), from Latin s?squi (“one and a half times”) + Latin ped?lis (“measuring a foot”) (form of pes (“foot”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?skw?p??de?l??n/
• Hyphenation: ses?qui?pe?da?li?an

Noun

sesquipedalian (plural sesquipedalians)

1. A long word.
   • 1830, On the Art of Rising in Prose The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal, part 2, v. 29, Henry Colburn and Co., page: 162:

     “The fine old fellow,” as a Northern contemporary of ours patronizingly calls him, certainly rolled out his sesquipedalians with a majesty previously unknown, and gave a fine organ-like swell to his full-blow periods;

   • 1927, John S. Farmer, William Ernest Henley, A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English: Abridged from the Seven-volume Work, Entitled "Slang and Its Analogues", Taylor & Francis, page: 164:

     Fleet-streetese, the so-called English written to sell by the Fleet-streeter (q.v.), or baser sort of journalist: a mixture of sesquipedalians and slang, of phrases worn threadbare and phrases sprung from the kennel;

   • 1952, Hannah More, Syndics of the Cambridge University Press, page: 220:

     ‘Sometimes we converse in ballad-rhymes, sometimes in Johnsonian sesquipedalians; at tea we condescend to riddles and charades.’

2. A person who uses long words.
   • 2008, Richard Dawkins, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing,Oxford University Press, page: 106:

     Word-watchers, verbivores, and sesquipedalians love a challenge.

   • 2009, Sally Adams, Wynford Hicks, Interviewing for Journalists, Taylor & Francis, page: 97:

     ‘What sort of writer is the English professor looking for?’ / ‘He wants a sesquipedalian, of course.’

   • 2012, Jonathan Herring, How to Argue: Powerfully, Persuasively, Positively, FT Press, chapter 8, page: ?:

     Don’t be a sesquipedalian! / Yes, you guessed right. A sesquipedalian is a person who enjoys long words.

Translations

Adjective

sesquipedalian (comparative more sesquipedalian, superlative most sesquipedalian)

1. (of a word or words) Long; polysyllabic.

   The most common use of "antidisestablishmentarianism" is as an example of a sesquipedalian word.
2. Pertaining to or given to the use of overly long words.

   Our dinner guest was so sesquipedalian that no one could understand what he said.

Synonyms

• (of long words): polysyllabic
• (given to the use of long words): See Thesaurus:verbose

Antonyms

• (of long words): monosyllabic, brachysyllabic
• (given to the use of long words): See Thesaurus:concise

Derived terms

• sesquipedalianism – literary style characterised by the use of long words.
• sesquipedalianist – a writer using sesquipedalianism.
• sesquipedalophobia – fear of long words.

Related terms

• hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
• sesquipedal
• sesquipedality

Translations

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “sesquipedalian”, in Online Etymology Dictionary