LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivethird-declension two-termination adjective

sēsquipedālis

sēsquipedālis (neuter sēsquipedāle)
Classical[seːs.kʷɪ.pɛˈdaː.lɪs]Ecclesiastical[ses.kʷi.peˈdaː.lis]

Meaning

  1. relationaltwo terminationA foot and a half, half a yard
  2. relationaltwo terminationA foot and a half long, half a yard long
  3. two terminationExcessively long (of speeches)

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

ūnum et dīmidium pedem crassa
a foot and a half thick
sēsquipedālis -e — in De Bello Gallico II, ch. 15

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativesēsquipedālissēsquipedālissēsquipedāle
genitivesēsquipedālissēsquipedālissēsquipedālis
dativesēsquipedālīsēsquipedālīsēsquipedālī
accusativesēsquipedālemsēsquipedālemsēsquipedāle
ablativesēsquipedālīsēsquipedālīsēsquipedālī
vocativesēsquipedālissēsquipedālissēsquipedāle
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativesēsquipedālēssēsquipedālēssēsquipedālia
genitivesēsquipedāliumsēsquipedāliumsēsquipedālium
dativesēsquipedālibussēsquipedālibussēsquipedālibus
accusativesēsquipedālīs
sēsquipedālēs		sēsquipedālīs
sēsquipedālēs		sēsquipedālia
ablativesēsquipedālibussēsquipedālibussēsquipedālibus
vocativesēsquipedālēssēsquipedālēssēsquipedālia

sesquĭ-pĕdālis, e, adj.
I. Of a foot and a half; one foot and a half in length, breadth, or diameter, Cato, R. R. 15, 2: tigna, Caes. B. G. 4, 17: talea, Col. 5, 9, 3: mensura, id. 9, 15, 4; 11, 2, 18; 11, 3, 48; Vitr. 5, 10; 10, 15, 4.—
II. Poet. transf., to denote excessive length, half a yard long: dentes, Cat. 97, 5: verba, Hor. A. P. 97; Mart. 7, 14, 10.

Origins

From sēsquipes (“1½ feet”) + -ālis (“-al: forming adjectives”), from sēsqui- (“a half and a”) + pes (“foot, Roman foot”). Equivalent to sēsqui- + pedālis (“footlong”).

Descendants
  • Englishsesquipedal
  • Frenchsesquipédal
  • Italiansesquipedale
  • Spanishsesquipedal

In English words that came into English from sēsquipedālis

  • sesquipedaliansēsquipedālis
  • sesquipedalsēsquipedālis
  • sesquipedalianismsēsquipedālis

Quick answers

What does sēsquipedālis mean in Latin?
sēsquipedālis, a adjective, means “A foot and a half, half a yard; A foot and a half long, half a yard long; Excessively long (of speeches)”.
How do you pronounce sēsquipedālis?
In classical Latin, [seːs.kʷɪ.pɛˈdaː.lɪs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ses.kʷi.peˈdaː.lis].
Which English words come from sēsquipedālis?
English words that go back to Latin sēsquipedālis include sesquipedalian, sesquipedal and sesquipedalianism.