polysyllabicism

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

polysyllabic +‎ -ism

Noun[edit]

polysyllabicism (usually uncountable, plural polysyllabicisms)

  1. (of linguistic expression) The state or characteristic of having a polysyllabic or overly complex style.
    • 1807, W. Taylor, Annual Review, page 274:
      It will only facilitate the acquirement of a sesquipedalian diction, having the polysyllabicism without the precision of Johnson.
    • 1973, C. G. Dobbs, “Book Review of Soil Micro-Organisms by T. R. G. Gray and S. T. Williams (1971)”, in The Journal of Applied Ecology, volume 10, number 2, page 665:
      If polysyllabicism is considered more 'scientific,' should we not seize the opportunity to call the study of micro-organisms 'mico-organicology'?
    • 2005 Feb. 15, Susan Elkin, In praise of polysyllabicism, Telegraph.co.uk, Telegraph Media Group:
      Vocabulary is the meat, blood and bones of language.

Related terms[edit]

References[edit]

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