floccinaucinihilipilification

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

The act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant, of having no value or being worthless.

Pronunciation

/ˌflɒksɪˌnɔːsɪˌnɪhɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/ /ˌflɒksɪˌnɔːkɪˌnɪhɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/ en-uk-floccinaucinihilipilification-2.ogg /ˌflɒksɪˌnɑsɪˌn(a)ɪhɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ en-us-floccinaucinihilipilification.ogg

Word forms

floccinaucinihilipilification floccinaucinihilipilifications

Etymology

From Latin floccus (“a wisp”) + naucum (“a trifle”) + nihilum (“nothing”) + pilus (“a hair”) + -fication. A jocular coinage, apparently by pupils at Eton College, combining a number of Latin word stems. The word was inspired by a line present in various editions of William Lily's (c. 1468–1522) Latin grammars published around the 17th–19th centuries (including the Eton Latin Grammar), in which some nouns commonly used in the genitive case with some verbs like pendo and facio are listed, which express evaluating something as worthless or as previously mentioned; see the reference.

Related words

floccinaucinihilipilificate floccinaucinihilipilificatious antidisestablishmentarianism dacryocystorhinostomy hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

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