wordage

[ wur-dij ]

noun

1. words collectively.
2. quantity or amount of words:

   The wordage of the document exceeds a million.

3. verbiage; wordiness.
4. choice of words; wording: word:

   His wordage betrayed his lack of knowledge on the subject.

wordage

/ ˈwɜːdɪdʒ /

noun

1. words considered collectively, esp a quantity of words

Word History and Origins

Origin of wordage¹

First recorded in 1820–30; word + -age

Example Sentences

“It’s an absolute mouthful to sing, with a lot of wordage,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

The music, as Spiegelman notes, has to be tuned into, tracked among the acrobatics of wordage, the high-wire leaps of thought.

From Washington Post

The reporter Earl Mazo described the “phrasemaker” Reece as drawing applause at the 1948 Convention “when he ripped into what he calls the ‘Democrat party’ with lacerating wordage.”

From Slate

So, the wordage “Dog Days” emerged as a phrase to refer to the long stretch of extreme summer weather and it has been handed down through generations.

From Washington Times

It might be five pages but it’s not nearly as much wordage and content than it used to be.

From Slate

Related Words

• expression
• idiom
• motto
• phrasing
• remark
• saying
• slogan
• terminology
• utterance
• wording