The longest word (English)

by Sanju 2009-11-11 17:22:13

What exactly is the longest word in the world?

It all depends on your point of view, but here goes:

First you have 'floccinaucinihilipilification' at 29 characters, meaning 'the act of estimating as worthless'.

Then there's 'antidisestablishmentarianism' at 28 letters, meaning 'opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England'. It is often considered the longest word as it has an actual meaning instead of being created just to be long.

Even longer still is 'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia', at 36 characters, it is the fear of long words. They should have made it shorter.

Unofficially the longest word is 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis' at 45 characters, meaning 'a lung disease'. It was created solely for the purpose of being the longest word, however, it does appear in a few dictionaries.

The longest place name is that of a hill in New Zealand at 85 characters:

TAUMATAWHAKATANGIHANGAKOAUAUOTAMATEATURIPU
KAKAPIKIMAUNGAHORONUKUPOKAIWHENUAKITANATAHU


The word with the most letters is a name of protein, as a name, it technically does not qualify as a word, but at 1913 characters, we just had to include it. Theoretically these names can contain an infinite amount of characters, but this one qualifies as it has actually been used in a medical journal.

methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucyl phenylalanylalanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyl lysylglutamylglycylalanylphenylalanylvalylprolylphenyl alanylvalylthreonylleucylglycylaspartylprolylglycylisol eucylglutamylglutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleucylaspartyl threonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspartyl alanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenyl alanylserylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolyl threonylisoleucylglutaminylasparaginylalanylthreonylleucyl arginylalanylphenylalanylalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonyl prolylalanylglutaminylcysteinylphenylalanylglutamyl methionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylarginylglutaminyllysyl histidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylglycylleucyl leucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalylphenyl alanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenyl alanyltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalyl glycylvalylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalyl prolylvalylglutaminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanyl arginylglutaminylalanylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginyl valylalanylprolylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinyl prolylprolylaspartylalanylaspartylaspartylaspartylleucyl leucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosylglycyl arginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylserylarginyl alanylglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparaginyl arginylalanylalanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidyl leucylvalylalanyllysylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginyl alanylalanylprolylprolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanyl glycylisoleucylserylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysyl alanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanylglycylalanylalanylglycyl alanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanylisoleucylvalyllysylisol eucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistidylasparaginylisoleucyl glutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionylleucylalanylalanylleucyl lysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylprolylmethionyllysyl alanylalanylthreonylarginylserine

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