2007-01-18 11:00:25 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPI CSILICOVOL CANOCONIOSIS (also spelled PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPI CSILICOVOL CANOKONIOSIS ) = a lung disease caused by breathing in particles of siliceous volcanic dust. - 45 chars
This is the longest word in any English dictionary. However, it was coined by Everett Smith, the President of The National Puzzlers' League, in 1935 purely for the purpose of inventing a new "longest word". The Oxford English Dictionary described the word as factitious. Nevertheless it also appears in the Webster's, Random House, and Chambers dictionaries.
Then there is
HEPATICOCHOLANGIOCHO LECYSTENTEROSTOMIES = a surgical creation of a connection between the gall bladder and a hepatic duct and between the intestine and the gall bladder.
This is the longest word in Gould's Medical Dictionary. - 37 chars
PS: I split the words because they weren't shown entirely after some point
2007-01-18 11:05:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
pneumonoÂultraÂmicroÂscopicsi licoÂvolcanoÂconiosis is the longest word in any common English dictionary
2007-01-18 19:04:12 · answer #2 · answered by Al 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The longest word in the English language is antidisestablishmenttarianism.
2007-01-18 19:10:01 · answer #3 · answered by j 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
SMILES is supposed to be the longest word in the dictionary because "there's a mile between the two S's. Actually -
PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS (45 letters; a lung disease caused by breathing in certain particles) is the longest word in any English-language dictionary.
Also check out this website for other examples:
http://www.sls.lib.il.us/reference/por/features/97/language.html
2007-01-18 19:03:53 · answer #4 · answered by lou53053 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
According to Oxford: Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism
2007-01-18 19:04:30 · answer #5 · answered by ahab 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
depends which dictionary you use, medical dictionaries will have much longer words than an elementary one
2007-01-18 19:05:41 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hippopotomonstrose squippedaliophobia - No space. Fear of long words. (Seriously.)
2007-01-18 19:18:28 · answer #7 · answered by * 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's antidisestablishmentarianism. That may be way off though.
2007-01-18 19:03:41 · answer #8 · answered by boredfairy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
2007-01-21 01:06:50 · answer #9 · answered by rachel 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Uhhh....anthropomorphism? or antiinflammatory? i dunno
2007-01-18 19:25:00 · answer #10 · answered by Lilian 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋