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. "Flocci non facio" was a Latin expression of worthlessness, literally "I do not make a straw of...".

Noun

1. The act or habit of describing or regarding something as worthless.
   • 1741: William Shenstone, Letters,

     I loved him for nothing so much as his flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money.

   • 1970: Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander,

     There is a systematic flocci-nauci-nihili-pilification of all other aspects of existence that angers me.

Usage notes

Often cited as the longest non-technical word in the English language, being one letter longer than the commonly-cited antidisestablishmentarianism.