word of the day: floccinaucinihilipilification

word of the day: floccinaucinihilipilification

context: 

Ferdinand and Isabela [ruled that Columbus] could not be allowed to retain the monopoly of transatlantic navigation. Apparently, though not explicitly in any surviving document, they decided that he had broken his contract by failing to deliver his promises. They added a dextrous piece of floccinaucinihilipilification. Columbus had forfeited his right of monopoly on the coast discovered on his third voyage because ill health had prevented him from landing and taking possession in person.

definition (Cambridge Dictionary): the act of considering something to be not at all important or useful. It's an 18th-century coinage that combines four Latin prefixes meaning "nothing."

While it’s a fun word — one I’ve never seen used before — I don’t quite see how its meaning is appropriate in the context of the quote. It seems to me the Spanish crown decided Columbus failed to do something important. Presumably the crown was looking for an excuse to undo Columbus’ rights-by-discovery, and they found one. Perhaps it is Felipe Fernandez-Armesto  (the author I’m quoting) who considers the technicality to be elevated from its prior floccinaucinihilipilification. 

source: Amerigo: the man who gave his name to America

by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto

2007. Random House, New York