whatisthelongestEnglishWord?

Wedohavegenuine(ifratherobviouslydeliberate)examplesinourfilesofantidisestablishmentarianism(28letters)andfloccinaucinihilipilification(29letters),whicharelistedinsomeofourlargerdictionaries.Otherwords(mainlytechnicalones)recordedinthecompleteOxfordEnglishDictionaryinclude:

otorhinolaryngological(22letters),

immunoelectrophoretically(25letters),

psychophysicotherapeutics(25letters),

thyroparathyroidectomized(25letters),

pneumoencephalographically(26letters),

radioimmunoelectrophoresis(26letters),

psychoneuroendocrinological(27letters)

hepaticocholangiogastrostomy(28letters),

spectrophotofluorometrically(28letters),

pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism(30letters).

Mostofthewordswhicharegivenas’thelongestword’aremerelyinventions,andwhentheyoccuritisalmostalwaysasexamplesoflongwords,ratherthanasgenuineexamplesofuse.Forexample,themedievalLatinwordhonorificabilitudinitas(honourableness)waslistedbysomeolddictionariesintheEnglishformhonorificabilitudinity(22letters),butithasneverreallybeeninuse.ThelongestwordcurrentlylistedinOxforddictionariesisratherofthiskind:itisthesupposedlung-diseasepneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis(45letters).

InVoltaire’sCandide,Panglossissupposedtohavegivenlecturesonmetaphysico-theologo-cosmonigology(34letters).InThomasLovePeacock’ssatiricalnovelHeadlongHall(1816)thereappeartwohigh-flownnoncewords(one-offcoinages)whichdescribethehumanbodybystringingtogetheradjectivesdescribingitsvarioustissues.ThefirstisbasedonGreekwords,andthesecondontheLatinequivalents;theyareosteosarchaematosplanchnochondroneuromuelous(44letters)andosseocarnisanguineoviscericartilaginonervomedullary(51letters),whichtranslateroughlyas’ofbone,flesh,blood,organs,gristle,nerve,andmarrow’.

SomeeditionsoftheGuinnessBookofRecordsmentionpraetertranssubstantiationalistically(37letters),usedinMarkMcShane’sUntimelyRipped(1963),andaequeosalinocalcalinoceraceoaluminosocupreovitriolic(52letters),attributedtoDrEdwardStrother(1675-1737).

Thiskindofverbalgameoriginates,sofarasrecordsattest,withtheancientGreekcomicplaywrightAristophanes,inventorofCloud-Cuckoo-Land(Nephelokokkygia).

Theformalnamesofchemicalcompoundsarealmostunlimitedinlength(forexample,aminoheptafluorocyclotetraphosphonitrile,40letters),butlongeronestendtobesprinkledwithnumerals,RomanandGreekletters,andotherarcanesymbols.Dictionarywriterstendtoregardsuchnamesas’verbalformulae’,ratherthanasEnglishwords.