Dictionary

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious en · ADJ

Pronunciation

(General-American) audio
(Received-Pronunciation) audio
audio -
/ˌsuːpəkælɪˌfɹæd͡ʒɪlɪstɪkˌɛkspiælɪˈdəʊʃəs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
/ˌsupəɹˌkæləˌfɹæd͡ʒəˌlɪstɪkˌɛkspiˌæləˈdoʊʃəs/ (General-American)

Etymology

Possibly a fanciful elaboration of super (“better than average, wonderful”) (compare super- (prefix denoting something superior in status or title, in potency or power, etc.)), with -istic (“suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives from nouns”) and -ious (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, denoting the presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance)). Various explanations of the other elements of the word have been suggested, but none of them are supported by convincing evidence. One by the American linguist Richard Lederer (born 1938) in his book Crazy English (1989) is super- + cali- (a variant of calli- (prefix meaning ‘beautiful’)) + fragilistic- (from fragile (“delicate”)) + expiali- (from expiate (“to atone or make reparation for”)) + docious (“amenable to order, docile”), suggesting that the word means “atoning for extreme and delicate beauty [while being] highly educable”. For the -docious ending, compare braggadocious (“exhibiting braggadocio, characterized by empty boasts”), first attested in American English in 1853. The word was popularized by its use in the song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from the 1964 film Mary Poppins, written by the American songwriters Robert B. Sherman (1925–2012) and Richard M. Sherman (1928–2024); they wrote in 1998: “When we were little boys in the mid-1930s, we went to a summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains, where we were introduced to a very long word that had been passed down in many variations through many generations of kids. […] The word as we first heard it was super-cadja-flawjalistic-espealedojus.”

Meanings

(humorous, not-comparable) Fantastic, marvellous, wonderful.
- Obviously there's plenty of room for improvement. I'm ready for the challenge. By comparison with the present transcribers, I'm sure my performance would be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. 2010, Rose Madeline Mula, “Beyond My Wildest Dreams”, in The Beautiful People and Other Aggravations, Gretna, La.: Pelican Publishing, →ISBN, page 91:
- I believe I am the sole originator of it, or at least, I have my own interpretation of its pronunciation. "Supercaliflawjalisticexpialadoshus" is the word to which I refer. […] It implies all that is grand, great, glorious, splendid, superb, wonderful,—well, all that is "supercaliflawjalisticexpialadoshus." […] I have found that this expression of mine is very adequate in any type of appreciation. When asked how you liked a certain movie, or what you think of so-or-so, or what your opinion is of Santa Claus, you can merely answer, "Supercaliflawjalisticexpialadoshus!", and you will have condensed many thoughts into one. Ben Zimmer (23 April 2012), “Word Routes: Tracking Down the Roots of a ‘Super’ Word”, in Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus
- Journalist: There probably aren't words to describe your emotions. / Mary Poppins: Now, now, now, now, gentlemen, please. On the contrary there's a very good word. Am I right, Bert? / Bert: Tell 'em what it is. / Mary: Right. It's [begins singing] supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. / Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, / If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious: / Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! [1964 August 27, Don DaGradi, Bill Walsh (screenplay), Robert Bernard Sherman, Richard Morton Sherman (song lyrics), Mary Poppins, spoken by Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), Burbank, Calif.: Walt Disney Productions, →OCLC:
- Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus; [or] The super song, by Patricia Smith [pseud.] and Don Fenton [pseud.] © Life Music, inc. New York; 24Sep51; EP58001. [1951 September 24 (date registered), Gloria Parker, Barney Young, Catalog of Copyright Entries (3rd Series), volume 5, part 5A (Published Music), number 1, Washington, D.C.: Copyright Office, the Library of Congress, →OCLC, page 644, column 3:
- [N]ow a whole school year in Poland and that's ten or more months! This is a real biggie so pay attention—I still pinch myself occasionally to even believe I did this; it was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. No other word fits it! 2011 October, Mary B. Allberry, “Guess What?”, in I Ain’t Done Yet, Victoria, B.C.: FriesenPress, →ISBN, page 91:
- We like to play a little song with the title so long, / It takes almost a chorus to sing it. / Just one word but it's really a bird, / So take a deep breath—here goes: / Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus, / Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus. / First you count and breathe to ten, / And then you say it over again: / It's supercalafajalistickespeealadojus. [1951, Patricia Smith [pseudonym; Gloria Parker], Don Fenton [pseudonym; Barney Young], “Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus (The Super Song): Fox Trot (CO 42665)”, performed by Hal Marquess and the Holmes Men, [New York, N.Y.]: Columbia Records, →OCLC:
- SUPERCALAFAJALISTICKESPIALADOJUS w[ords] & m[usic] Gloria Parker & Barney Young © Life Music, Inc. 12Dec49 EU187738 [1949 December 12 (date registered), Gloria Parker, Barney Young, Catalog of Copyright Entries (3rd Series), volume 3, part 5B (Unpublished Music), number 1, Washington, D.C.: Copyright Office, the Library of Congress, →OCLC, page 378, column 1:

Translations (6)

fi superoptihupilystivekkuloistokainen (fantastic, marvellous, wonderful ''(cognates)'') · es supercalifragilisticoexpialidoso (fantastic, marvellous, wonderful ''(cognates)'') · pt supercalifragilisticexpialidoce (fantastic, marvellous, wonderful ''(cognates)'') · it supercalifragilistichespiralidoso (fantastic, marvellous, wonderful ''(cognates)'') · de supercalifragilisticexpialigetisch (fantastic, marvellous, wonderful ''(cognates)'') · de superkalifragilistisch expiallegorisch (fantastic, marvellous, wonderful ''(cognates)'')

wikipedia: Robert B. Sherman · wikipedia: Richard M. Sherman · wikipedia: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious en · ADJ

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Translations (6)