ped-, pedi-, -pedal, -ped, -pede, -pedia

(Latin: foot, feet; people often see this ped element in other words. When people refer to "pedal extremities", they mean "feet". When anyone pushes the pedals of a bicycle, it is done with the feet. A pedestrian must use the feet for walking. A quadruped has four feet while a centipede has "100 feet"; or a large number of them because it may be impossible to count all of them.)

sesquipedalian (adjective), more sesquipedalian, most sesquipedalian
Conveying big polysyllabic words: Mark was trying to impress his classmates in by presenting sesquipedalian versions of well-known proverbs for them to interpret.

The sesquipedalian contents of some scientific and medical definitions in dictionaries can be very frustrating for most people to comprehend.

Jason was a person who loved to impress people by using sesquipedalian terms; even though it tended to confuse them and it hindered his ability to communicate what he wanted them to know.

Addicted to the use of very big words.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Pertaining to long and ponderous words.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

sesquipedalianism, sesquipedalism (s) (noun); sesquipedalianisms, sesquipedalisms (pl)
The practice of using, long and obscure words in speech or writing: "The senator's speech was sprinkled with sesquipedalianisms which confused reporters and other members of the audience because he was speaking with many incomprehensibly big words."

You may see many examples of sesquipedalianisms with solutions, starting with Group 1-17, by going to sesquipedalia verba.

sesquipedalianist (s) (noun), sesquipedalianist (pl)
A person who uses excessively long words: "The vocabulary class had a contest to see which sesquipedalianists could come up with presentations of simple proverbs that have been turned into multi-syllable words."
sesquipedality (s) (noun), sesquipedalities (pl)
The practice of using abnormally long words: "The famous orators, who were famous for their sesquipedalties, engaged in verbal debates as they tried to use longer words than their opponents."
sesquipedalophobia (s) (noun), sesquipedalophobias (pl)
A hatred of big words: Catherine's English essay instructor had a sesquipedalophia that she instilled in all of her students, urging them to use vocabulary contents that are easy to read and to comprehend.
sexiped, sexipede
Hexapod, with six feet.
sinistropedal
Denoting someone who uses the left leg in preference to the right; left-footed.
solidipede
solidipedous
soliped, solipede
1. With one foot.
2. An animal having a whole or uncloven hoof.
Stans pede in uno.
Standing on one foot.

From Satires by Horace. It also means, "effortlessly" and is the equivalent to the English expression "I can do that standing on one foot."

suppedaneous
A reference to the soles of the feet.
talipedic
Clubfooted.
talipedical
Having talipes; "clubfoot".
talped
A person with talipes, "clubfoot".

Keep in mind that all of the ped words which you see in English are not always from the Latin "foot" or "feet". There are also some Greek ped words in English which do not mean "foot"! So, don't confuse this Latin element with a Greek pedo- that means "child" or the Greek pedo- which means "ground, soil".


If you want to leave footprints in the sands of time, don’t drag your feet.

—Rayoa

For more information about ped-, or "foot, feet" words, click on this expeditious, expedite link.


Related "foot, feet" units: melo-; planta-; podo-; -pus.