What is the longest word in the English language?

[arba20]

Which word is longest in English dictionary?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

megaparsec.

 

[HallsofIvy]

Look at this wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_word_in_English

As they say, it is impossible to give an answer because of ambiguities as to what constitutes a "word in the English language" as well as exactly how you count letters in words that may have alternative spellings. The article gives a word that has 189,819 letters but it is the chemical name of the largest protein and it formed by simply combining the names of all the atoms in it- is it really a separate word? Another is a word with 45 letters, said to be the "longest word in a major dictionary" but with the caution that it is another technical word formed by combining other words- and, in fact, was coined specifically to be the longest word in the English language!

The longes "non-coined and non-technical word" is our old friend "Antidisestablishmentarianism" and the only one I can define- it means the opposition to the "disestablishment" of the Anglican church.

The longest word to appear in Shakespear is "Honorificabilitudinitatibus" and is the longest word that alternates consonants and vowels!

 

[Hyperspace2]

megaparsec.

 

[I like Serena]

megaparsec.

Hmm, hyperspace sounds longer!

 

[arildno]

In Norway, the most common and well-known word that is arguably the longest in that category is:

Høyesterettsjustitiarius

It means "Chief Justice of the Supreme Court"

 

[rhody]

megaparsec.

The great one does it again... zing... you are da man...

Rhody...

 

[Klockan3]

The longest word to appear in Shakespear is "Honorificabilitudinitatibus" and is the longest word that alternates consonants and vowels!

Actually it is floccinaucinihilipilification.

Edit: Tried to look that one up and couldn't find anything, I guess that I need to have gotten some things mixed up by a strange source..

 

[arba20]

Thanks for your posting.

 

[Borek]

word that has 189,819 letters but it is the chemical name of the largest protein and it formed by simply combining the names of all the atoms in it

Amino acids, not atoms.

 

[Ken Natton]

Actually it is floccinaucinihilipilification.

Edit: Tried to look that one up and couldn't find anything, I guess that I need to have gotten some things mixed up by a strange source..

When I was young, the word always held to be the longest was, as HallsofIvy said, antidisestablishmentarianism, but there were then endless disputes about whether or not it should be hyphonated. Latterly the word you mention, floccinaucinihilipilification appeared on the scene. There are a couple of things you should know about it - no-one ever uses it, people only ever encounter it as 'the longest word in the Oxford dictionary' and the word itself is very tongue-in-cheek. Flocci, nauci, nihili and pili are all essentially prefixes with very similar meanings and connotations. The overall word is held to mean 'the art of estimating the worthless' which is, of course, completely pointless. As already pointed out, the real problem is to identify the longest word that is not just a compound noun, certainly not a chemical, biological or a pharamcuetical name, and is intended for general and spontaneous use. Not really any less pointless a question but hey, we have to get through the day somehow...

 

[Haldhad]

The longest word in the English language is time.

Ok physics jokes aside, as said it depends what you mean by word, a chemical term is a word but is it a word as you understand the term.

Antidisestablishmentarianism was once listed as the longest word although falsely. It means against the deconstruction of the Arian church whatever the hell Arian means, although usually it is linked to protestantism in the UK. Now it's something different I believe floccinaucinihilipilification not really close but it depends how you define a word? language evolves.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, gets my vote.