Reserve floccinaucinihilipilification for playful, learned, or very formal contexts where the sheer length of the word is part of the effect.
Reserve floccinaucinihilipilification for playful, learned, or very formal contexts where the sheer length of the word is part of the effect.
Floccinaucinihilipilfication drops a syllable from the middle, and neutral uses such as a floccinaucinihilipilification to approve it miss the worthless-value sense.
First attested in 1741 in a letter by William Shenstone, built from Latin flocci, nauci, nihili, and pili, words used in the Eton Latin Grammar for things of little value or nothing, plus -fication.
What does floccinaucinihilipilification mean?
Floccinaucinihilipilification means treating something as worthless or of no importance.
How is floccinaucinihilipilification pronounced?
Floccinaucinihilipilification is pronounced /ˌflɒksəˌnɔːsəˌnaɪhɪləˌpɪləfɪˈkeɪʃən/.
Is floccinaucinihilipilification a noun?
Floccinaucinihilipilification is a noun for the act or habit of estimating something as worthless.
Where does floccinaucinihilipilification come from?
Floccinaucinihilipilification joins Latin schoolbook words meaning things of little value with the ending -fication.
Is floccinaucinihilipilification used in ordinary speech?
Floccinaucinihilipilification is very rare and is usually chosen for comic, learned, or long-word effect.
Why is floccinaucinihilipilification famous?
Floccinaucinihilipilification is famous because it is a 29-letter word often cited among the longest non-technical English words.
Can floccinaucinihilipilification be used as a verb?
The headword floccinaucinihilipilification is a noun. The rare derivative floccinaucinihilipilificate exists, but plain verbs such as dismiss or devalue are usually clearer.
What are synonyms for floccinaucinihilipilification?
Close alternatives include belittlement, disparagement, denigration, depreciation, undervaluation, and dismissal.