Longest words
Encyclopedia
The longest word in any given language depends on the word formation
rules of each specific language, and on the types of words allowed for consideration. Agglutinative language
s allow for the creation of long words via compounding
. Even non-agglutinative languages may allow word formation of theoretically limitless length in certain contexts. Words consisting of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of characters have been coined with the goal of being ranked among the world's longest words; technical scientific terms can run to hundreds of thousands of characters in length. Place names may not be accepted on lists of longest words despite their length. Longest word candidates may be judged by their acceptance in major dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary
or in record-keeping publications like the Guinness World Records
, and by the frequency of their use in ordinary language.
It should be noted that individual characters are not direct equivalents of words in the English sense, as many Chinese "words" require more than one character to express, one being 葡萄, or "grapes" in English.
s in dative
, instrumental
or other grammatical case and derived from the iterative or frequentative verbal form or the ability adjective form (like -able).
(See also the Czech article.)
Konstantinopolitanerinde, meaning female inhabitant of Constantinople, is often mentioned as the longest non-compound word.
For the fairytale The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep
, the author Hans Christian Andersen
named one of the characters Gedebukkebensoverogundergeneralkrigskommandersergenten as a parody on the long Danish military titles.
is capable of forming compounds of potentially limitless length. The 49-letter word Kindercarnavalsoptochtvoorbereidingswerkzaamheden, meaning "preparation activities for a children's carnival procession," was cited by the 1996 Guinness Book of World Records as the longest Dutch
word.
The longest word in the authoritative Van Dale Dutch dictionary is wapenstilstandsonderhandelingen; 31 letters long, meaning "cease-fire negotiations".
The free OpenTaal dictionary, that was certified by the Dutch Language Union
(i.e. the formal Dutch language institute) and that is included in many open-source applications, contains the following longest words that are 40 letters long:
(189,819 letters). For full length of chemical name go here Full chemical name of Titin.Titin is the largest known protein composed of thousands of amino acids. It is still considered a word even though it is not in a dictionary, possibly due to its length.
The 45-letter word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
is the longest English word that appears in a major dictionary. Originally coined to become a candidate for the longest word in English, the term eventually developed some independent use in medicine. It is referred to as "P45" by researchers.
Word formation
In linguistics, word formation is the creation of a new word. Word formation is sometimes contrasted with semantic change, which is a change in a single word's meaning...
rules of each specific language, and on the types of words allowed for consideration. Agglutinative language
Agglutinative language
An agglutinative language is a language that uses agglutination extensively: most words are formed by joining morphemes together. This term was introduced by Wilhelm von Humboldt in 1836 to classify languages from a morphological point of view...
s allow for the creation of long words via compounding
Compound (linguistics)
In linguistics, a compound is a lexeme that consists of more than one stem. Compounding or composition is the word formation that creates compound lexemes...
. Even non-agglutinative languages may allow word formation of theoretically limitless length in certain contexts. Words consisting of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of characters have been coined with the goal of being ranked among the world's longest words; technical scientific terms can run to hundreds of thousands of characters in length. Place names may not be accepted on lists of longest words despite their length. Longest word candidates may be judged by their acceptance in major dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
or in record-keeping publications like the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, and by the frequency of their use in ordinary language.
Bulgarian
The longest word in Bulgarian is Непротивоконституционствувателствуванията (Neprotivokonstitutsionstvuvatelstvuvaniyata), which is 41 letters, and means "Actions of not acting against the Constitution."Chinese
In terms of pronunciation, Chinese words (Mandarin) are strictly monosyllabic. As such, most words are limited to a length of three phonemes at most, but in the Peking area, a fourth phoneme, usually "r", can be added. In Romanised spelling, no more than five letters are needed for any single Chinese character in standard pronunciation, being the likes of 宣, which is spelled "syuan". Again, in the Peking area, the final "r" can be added.It should be noted that individual characters are not direct equivalents of words in the English sense, as many Chinese "words" require more than one character to express, one being 葡萄, or "grapes" in English.
Czech
Traditionally, the word nejneobhospodařovávatelnějšímu is considered as the longest Czech word, but there are some longer artificial words. Most of them are compound adjectiveAdjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s in dative
Dative case
The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....
, instrumental
Instrumental case
The instrumental case is a grammatical case used to indicate that a noun is the instrument or means by or with which the subject achieves or accomplishes an action...
or other grammatical case and derived from the iterative or frequentative verbal form or the ability adjective form (like -able).
- nejneobhospodařovávatelnějšímu, "to the least farmable one", 30 letters
- nejzdevětadevadesáteroroznásobitelnějšími, "by the most possible to be 99-tuplable out", 41 letters
- nejnerestrukturalizovávatelnějšímu, "to the least restructurable one", 34 letters
- nejneznesrozumitelňovávatelnějšímu, "to the least able to be making less understandable", 34 letters
- nejnevykrystalizovávatelnějšímu, "to the least crystallizable one", 31 letters
(See also the Czech article.)
Danish
Speciallægepraksisplanlægningsstabiliseringsperiode, which is 51 letters, is the longest Danish word that has been used in an official context. It means "Period of plan stabilising for a specialist doctor's practice," and was used during negotiations with the local government.Konstantinopolitanerinde, meaning female inhabitant of Constantinople, is often mentioned as the longest non-compound word.
For the fairytale The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep
The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep
"The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen . The tale follows the romance between a china shepherdess and a china chimney sweep who are threatened by a carved mahogany satyr who wants the shepherdess for his wife...
, the author Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
named one of the characters Gedebukkebensoverogundergeneralkrigskommandersergenten as a parody on the long Danish military titles.
Dutch
DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
is capable of forming compounds of potentially limitless length. The 49-letter word Kindercarnavalsoptochtvoorbereidingswerkzaamheden, meaning "preparation activities for a children's carnival procession," was cited by the 1996 Guinness Book of World Records as the longest Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
word.
The longest word in the authoritative Van Dale Dutch dictionary is wapenstilstandsonderhandelingen; 31 letters long, meaning "cease-fire negotiations".
The free OpenTaal dictionary, that was certified by the Dutch Language Union
Dutch Language Union
The Dutch Language Union is an international institution for discussing issues regarding the Dutch language. It was founded on 9 September 1980 by the Netherlands and Belgium...
(i.e. the formal Dutch language institute) and that is included in many open-source applications, contains the following longest words that are 40 letters long:
- vervoerdersaansprakelijkheidsverzekering, "carriers' liability insurance";
- bestuurdersaansprakelijkheidsverzekering, "directors' liability insurance";
- overeenstemmingsbeoordelingsprocedures, "conformity assessment procedures".
English
The longest technical word in English is the scientific name for titinTitin
Titin , also known as connectin, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TTN gene. Titin is a giant protein that functions as a molecular spring which is responsible for the passive elasticity of muscle. It is composed of 244 individually folded protein domains connected by unstructured...
(189,819 letters). For full length of chemical name go here Full chemical name of Titin.Titin is the largest known protein composed of thousands of amino acids. It is still considered a word even though it is not in a dictionary, possibly due to its length.
The 45-letter word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "a factitious word alleged to mean 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust, causing inflammation in the lungs. A condition meeting the word's definition is normally called...
is the longest English word that appears in a major dictionary. Originally coined to become a candidate for the longest word in English, the term eventually developed some independent use in medicine. It is referred to as "P45" by researchers.