| Definitions | floccinaucinihilipilification
noun
- The act or habit of describing or regarding something as worthless.
- 1741: w:William Shenstone, William Shenstone, Letters,
- :I loved him for nothing so much as his flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money.
- 1970: w:Patrick O'Brian, Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander,
- :There is a systematic flocci-nauci-nihili-pilification of all other aspects of existence that angers me.
Translations: - German: Geringschí¤tzung
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Etymology: A jocular coinage, apparently by students at Eton, combining a number of roughly synonymous Latin stems. flocci, from floccus, a wisp or piece of wool + nauci, from naucum, a trifle + nihili, from nihilum, nothing + pili, from pilus, a hair, something insignificant (all therefore having the sense of "worthless" or "nothing") + -fication.
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