different between terse vs sesquipedalian

English

Etymology

From Latin tersus (“clean, cleansed, rubbed or wiped off; neat, spruce; terse”), perfect passive participle of terg?, terge? (“to clean, cleanse, rub, wipe, wipe off”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh?- (“to rub; to turn”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /t??s/
• (Canada, US) IPA^(key): /t??s/
• Rhymes: -??(?)s

Adjective

terse (comparative terser, superlative tersest)

1. (by extension) Of speech or style: brief, concise, to the point.

   Synonyms: concise, succinct, see also Thesaurus:concise

   Antonyms: prolix, verbose, wordy, see also Thesaurus:verbose
2. (by extension) Of manner or speech: abruptly or brusquely short; curt.

   Synonyms: abrupt, brusque, (dialectal) mardy, short-spoken
3. (obsolete) Burnished, polished; fine, smooth; neat, spruce. [from early 17th c.]

Derived terms

• tersely
• terseness

Translations

References

Further reading

• concision on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Ester, Reset, Steer, ester, estre, re-est., reest, reset, retes, seter, steer, stere, teers, teres, trees

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?terse?/, [?t?e?rs?e?(?)]
• Rhymes: -erse
• Syllabification: ter?se

Interjection

terse

1. (humorous) hi, hello

Anagrams

• Ester

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t??s/
• Homophones: tersent, terses

Verb

terse

1. first-person singular present indicative of terser
2. third-person singular present indicative of terser
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of terser
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of terser
5. second-person singular imperative of terser

Anagrams

• ester, estre, êtres, reste, resté, stère, stéré

Italian

Verb

terse

1. third-person singular past historic of tergere

Participle

terse f pl

1. feminine plural of terso

Adjective

terse

1. feminine plural of terso

Anagrams

• Ester

Latin

Participle

terse

1. vocative masculine singular of tersus

Venetian

Adjective

terse f pl

1. feminine plural of terso

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