Worthless words?
Be warned. If you set little store by words – or anything else, for that matter – you could be guilty of floccinaucinihilipilification.
And no, that wasn’t a mouse running over my keyboard.
This Latin-based tongue-twister basically denotes “the act or habit of estimating as worthless”. According to Dictionary.com, its usage is rare and it functions primarily as an example of one of the longest words in the English language. First appearing in 1741, floccinaucinihilipilification is an example of “the kind of jocular formation that was possible among educated men in Britain in those days” (Online Etymology Dictionary).
As for what it means to me, it’s a good reminder of the humour and history to be found in the world of words. People often complain that the English language is complex and confusing, but I love to examine the myriad words that it has soaked up like a sponge.
My language is full of growth and beauty – and some 29-letter surprises that remind me that words are never worthless and there’s always something more to learn.