Words by the Foot
The Roman poet Horace advised younger writers to avoid sesquipedalia
verba, or “words a foot and a half long.” That turn of phrase
gave us a modern supersize term to describe words
with a ton of syllables: sesquipedalian (seh-skwuh-
puh-'dayl-yun). Its Latin prefix sesqui- means
“one and a half times,” and ped- means “foot.”
- contemporary (c)
modern. Joel prefers con-
temporary art over paint-
ings by the old masters. - insurrectionist (c)
rebel. The insurrectionists
overthrew the corrupt
government. - extracurricular
(c) outside the usual course.
Troy has a variety of extra-
curricular interests, includ-
ing Russian literature and
spelunking. - conviviality (b) merri-
ment. The village tavern is
a place of conviviality,
where neighbors enjoy
one another’s company. - transmogrification (b)
change in form. How do you
explain the prince’s trans-
mogrification into a beast?
Vocabulary Ratings
9 & below:satisfactory
10–12: meritorious
13–15: indomitable- triskaidekaphobia
(c) fear of the number 13.
Many hotels go from floor
12 to 14, a nod to guests
with triskaidekaphobia. - disingenuous
(b) insincere. My sister’s
disingenuous apology for
ruining my sweater didn’t
make me feel any better. - verisimilitude (b)
quality of seeming real.
Archaeologists say The
Flintstones has little histori-
cal verisimilitude. - impenetrable (b)
impossible to enter. The
tech department is work-
ing to make our server
impenetrable to hackers. - superannuated
(b) outdated. “I can’t teach
science with these super-
annuated textbooks!” Mr.
Sanchez complained. - pharmacology (a)
science of drugs.
Pharmacology experts
haven’t tested the new
drug’s effectiveness in
children.- heterogeneous (c)
diverse. Home to millions
of species, the Amazon
rain forest is one of Earth’s
most heterogenous
places. - paraphernalia
(a) assorted gear. We’ll
need balloons, candles,
and other party parapher-
nalia for the birthday bash. - phantasmagoria
(a) dreamlike scene.
“I Am the Walrus” is a
phantasmagoria of sound
and imagery. - idiosyncrasy (a) quirk.
Don’t be boring—embrace
your idiosyncrasies!
Word Power
ANSWERS
Reader’s Digest
130 may 2019
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