Long …. Longer….Longest….
The longest word recorded in the Oxford Dictionary is the 29 letter word, coined humorously by Mr. Shenstone in 1741… viz
FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION… meaning “action or habit of estimating as worthless”.
This is a combination of Latin words Flocci, Nauci, Nihili, Pili & Fication… This word also means “setting little or no value”.
The clown in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour Lost, uses the word.. HONORIFICABILITUDINITATIBUS…(27 letters), reckoned as one of the longest words in English.
In the popular English Musical “Mary Poppins” there is often an expression SUPERCALIFRAGILISTISEXPIALIDOCIOUS (34 letters)…
These words may not have specific meanings, that’s why they are termed only as an ‘expression’…
But then how about this? PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS (45 letters)… this is a compound word listed in Masters International Dictionary, to signify a lung disease, usually contracted by miners… a form of Pneumocniosis caused by very fine silicate or quartz dust.
This is not all. There is yet another contender for the longest word – see if you can mouth this 52 letter monster, in one gulp….
AEQUEOSALINOCALCALINOCETACEOALUMINOSOCUPRIOVITRIOLIC…
This word is attributed to one Dr. Edward Strother of 18th century, and it just means ‘spa water’.
For fun lovers however the longest word is SMILES, because there is a MILE between the first and the last letter.
KP.Mohandas.
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