Floccinaucinihilipilification is rarely used. I don’t think I need to explain why.
It means ‘the action or habit of believing something to have no value’.
Its origin is thought to be mid 18th century, and stems from the Latin words flocci, nauci, nihili, pili (all of their meanings have the sense of little value) with the suffix –fication.
The use of floccinaucinihilipilification is so unusual that it made the news in 2012 when a British MP spoke the word in the House of Commons. It became the longest word in Hansard (the official report of proceedings).
You can listen to the British English pronunciation here if you fancy trying it out yourself.
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I have spent a considerable amount of tome this evening practicing pronouncing this word and aspire to use it conversationally soon. My friends will all be stunned.
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I am sure they will!
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Managed to say it, but I think I’ll probably forget the pronunciation in a matter of minutes! There are some strange words out there. 🙂
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There certainly are!
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I tied my tongue in a knot trying to say it.
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I can just about say it but it wouldn’t sound natural if I dropped it into conversation!
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