Interesting Words and Expressions – Floccinaucinihilipilification

What does floccinaucinihilipilification mean?

It is an uncountable noun that is often used humorously. It is the act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant, of having no value or being worthless.

How do you pronounce it?

/flɒksɪˌnɔːsɪˌnɪhɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/

or

[flok-suh-naw-suh-nahy-hil-uh-pil-uh-fi-key-shuh n]

Where does it come from?

A jocular coinage, apparently by pupils at Eton College in England, combining a number of roughly synonymous Latin stems. The word was inspired by a line in the Eton Latin Grammar Book.

It is a rare word and is also an example of the longest word in the English language. The word is used chiefly as a curiosity.

How do you use it?

For example, “There’s a little bit of floccinaucinihilipilification going on here.”