hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Why Is The Fear Of Long Words Called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia? Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is probably taken from the root word sesquipedalian, which means “long word.” Therefore, sesquipedalophobia is technically more correct. But somewhere along the line, someone added references to the hippopotamus and monsters to make the word sound even more intimidating. Why is the fear of long