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n
noun
Rare. the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).
Origin:
1735–45; < Latin floccī + naucī + nihilī + pilī all meaning “of little or no value, trifling” + -fication
1735–45; < Latin floccī + naucī + nihilī + pilī all meaning “of little or no value, trifling” + -fication
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To floccinaucinihilipilification
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Floccinaucinihilipilification
has a plethora of syllables.
So is sesquipedalianism. Does it mean:
| given to using long words. |
| opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, esp. the Anglican Church in 19th-century England. |
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Main Entry: | floccinaucinihilipilification |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | an act or instance of judging something to be worthless or trivial |
| Etymology: | the parts of the word each mean 'at nothing' or 'with a small price' |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
floccinaucinihilipilification
"action or habit of estimating as worthless," 1741, a combination of four Latin words (flocci, nauci, nihili, pilifi) all signifying "at a small price" or "for nothing," which were listed together in a rule of the well-known Eton Latin Grammar. The kind of jocular formation that was possible among educated
EXPANDmen in Britain in those days. Just so, as in praesenti, the opening words of mnemonic lines on conjugation in Lilley's 16c. Latin grammar, could stand alone as late as 19c. and be understood to mean "rudiments of Latin."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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