Dictionary

polysyllabicism en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree English polysyllabic Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English polysyllabicism From polysyllabic + -ism.

Meanings

1. (of linguistic expression, uncountable, usually) The state or characteristic of having a polysyllabic or overly complex style.
   • It will only facilitate the acquirement of a sesquipedalian diction, having the polysyllabicism without the precision of Johnson. 1807, W. Taylor, Annual Review, page 274:
   • Vocabulary is the meat, blood and bones of language. 2005 Feb. 15, Susan Elkin, In praise of polysyllabicism, Telegraph.co.uk, Telegraph Media Group
   • If polysyllabicism is considered more 'scientific,' should we not seize the opportunity to call the study of micro-organisms 'mico-organicology'? 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:

Forms

Relateds

polysyllable · polysyllabicity · polysyllabism