POLYSYLLABIC

polysyllabic, sesquipedalian

(adjective) (of words) long and ponderous; having many syllables; “sesquipedalian technical terms”

polysyllabic

(adjective) having or characterized by words of more than three syllables

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

polysyllabic (not comparable)

(of a word) Having more than one syllable; having multiple or many syllables.

(of spoken or written language) Characterized by or consisting of words having numerous syllables.

Usage notes

Authoritative sources disagree concerning the precise number of syllables needed for a word to count as polysyllabic. The references cited below variously stipulate anywhere from more than one syllable to four or more. In general usage, a polysyllabic word is a word which is regarded as lengthy and polysyllabic writing or speech is often regarded as elaborate, overly lengthy, or excessively complex.

Synonyms

• (of a word): multisyllabic

Antonyms

• monosyllabic

• brachysyllabic

Noun

polysyllabic (plural polysyllabics)

A word having more than one syllable

Source: Wiktionary


Pol`y*syl*lab"ic, Pol`y*syl*lab"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. polysyllabique.]

Definition: Pertaining to a polysyllable; containing, or characterized by, polysyllables; consisting of more than three syllables.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

7 January 2025

UNINFORMATIVELY

(adverb) in an uninformative manner; “‘I can’t tell you when the manager will arrive,’ he said rather uninformatively”


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Coffee Trivia

The world’s most expensive coffee costs more than US$700 per kilogram. Asian palm civet – a cat-like creature in Indonesia, eats fruits, including select coffee cherries. It excretes partially digested seeds that produce a smooth, less acidic brew of coffee called kopi luwak.

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