Monday, July 12, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
What is the Longest Word?
from fun with words
Do you remember – when you were a child – learning (then gleefully reciting) what youthought was the longest word in the English language? Was it ANTI DIS ESTABLISHMENT ARIAN ISM? Or the similarly long SUPER CALI FRAGI LISTIC EXPI ALI DOCIOUS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are longer ones...
However, there is no easy answer that we can give when our visitors ask us for the longest word in the English language. Most very long words only occur in one or two dictionaries, and often they are debatably not words at all. For example, ANTI DISESTABLISH MENT ARIAN ISM has possibly never really been used to mean "the belief which opposes removing the tie between church and state." Certainly 99 in 100 times it is used as an example of a long word. And who says you can't put NON– (for example) on the beginning to make it even longer?
This problem is even more evident in chemical names. Most chemicals are named using a systematic naming system which methodically describes the molecule's structure. Some molecules, such as proteins, are huge, so it is possible to come up with genuine words containing millions of letters. But of course no chemist uses these really long names in practice.
Here we look at some of the longest words in English dictionaries, and discuss whether they should be considered to be real words. Interesting long chemical termsand place names are listed separately afterwards. The red numbers indicate the length (number of letters) of the word that follows.
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, andChambers dictionaries.(37) HEPATICO CHOLANGIO CHOLECYST ENTERO STOMIES = 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.
(34) SUPER CALI FRAGI LISTIC EXPI ALI DOCIOUS = song title from the Walt Disney movie Mary Poppins.
It is in the Oxford English Dictionary.
"But then one day I learned a word
That saved me achin' nose,
The biggest word you ever 'eard,
And this is 'ow it goes:
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" (30) HIPPOPOTO MONSTRO SESQUIPED AL IAN = pertaining to a very long word.
From Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and Preposterous Words.
(29) FLOCCI NAUCINI HILIPIL IFICATION = an estimation of something as worthless.
This is the longest word in the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Interestingly the most common letter in English, E, does not appear in this word at all, whilst I occurs a total of nine times. The word dates back to 1741. The 1992 Guinness Book of World Records calls flocci nauci nihili pilification the longest real word in theOxford English Dictionary, and refers to pneumono ultra micro scopic silico volcanokoniosis as the longest made-up one.
(28) ANTI DIS ESTABLISH MENT ARIAN ISM = the belief which opposes removing the tie between church and state.
Probably the most popular of the "longest words" in recent decades.
(27) HONORI FICABILI TUDINI TATIBUS = honorableness.
The word first appeared in English in 1599, and in 1721 was listed by Bailey's Dictionary as the longest word in English. It was used by Shakespeare in Love's Labor's Lost (Costard; Act V, Scene I):
"O, they have lived long on the alms-basket of words.
I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word;
for thou art not so long by the head as
honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier
swallowed than a flap-dragon." Shakespeare does not use any other words over 17 letters in length.
(27) ELECTRO ENCEPHALO GRAPHICALLY
The longest unhyphenated word in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th Ed.), joint with ethylene diamine tetraacetate (see below).
(27) ANTI TRANSUB STAN TIA TION ALIST = one who doubts that consecrated bread and wine actually change into the body and blood of Christ.
(21) DIS PRO PORTION ABLE NESS and (21) IN COM PREHEN SIB ILITIES
These are described by the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records as the longest words in common usage.
Some say SMILES is the longest word because there is a MILE between the first and last letters!
This word has appeared in the American Chemical Society's Chemical Abstracts and is thus considered by some to be the longest real word.
(39) TETRA METHYL DIAMINO BENZHYDRYL PHOSPHINOUS = a type of acid.
This is the longest chemical term in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed.). It does not have its own entry but appears under a citation for another word.
(37) FORMALDEHYDE TETRA METHYL AMIDO FLUORIMUM
Chemical term in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed.).
(37) DIMETHYL AMIDO PHENYL DIMETHYL PYRAZOLONE
Chemical term in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed.).
(31) DICHLORO DIPHENYL TRICHLORO ETHANE = a pesticide used to kill lice; abbrv. DDT.
It is the longest word in the Macquarie Dictionary and is also in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed.).
(29) TRINITRO PHENYL METHYL NITRAMINE = a type of explosive.
This is the longest chemical term in Webster's Dictionary (3rd Ed.).
(27) ETHYLENE DIAMINE TETRA ACETATE
The longest unhyphenated word in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th Ed.), joint with electroencephalographically (see above).
(26) ETHYLENE DIAMINE TETRA ACETIC = a type of acid; abbrv. EDTA.
This word appears in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th Ed.).
A hill in New Zealand. This Maori name was in general use, but is now generally abbreviated to Taumata. The name means: the summit of the hill, where Tamatea, who is known as the land eater, slid down, climbed up and swallowed mountains, played on his nose flute to his loved one.
(66) GORSA FAWDDACH AIDRAIGODAN HEDDO GLEDDOLON PENRHYN AREUR DRAETHCEREDIGION
A town in Wales. The name means: the Mawddach station and its dragon teeth at the Northern Penrhyn Road on the golden beach of Cardigan bay.
(58) LLAN FAIR PWLL GWYN GYLL GOGERY CHWYRN DROBWLL LLANTY SILIO GOGOGOCH
A town in North Wales. The name roughly translates as: St. Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red cave. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
(41) CHAR GOGAGOG MAN CHAR GOGAGOG CHAR BUNA GUNGAMOG
Another name for Lake Webster in Massachusetts. Probably the longest name in the United States. Alternative spellings are:
(44) CHAR GOGGAGOGG MAN CHAUG GAGOGG CHAU BUNA GUNGAMOGG,
(45) CHAR GOGGAGOGG MAN CHAUG GAGOGG CHAU BUNA GUNGAMAUGG,
(44) CHAR GOGGAGOGG MAN CHAUG GAGOGG CHA BUNA GUNGAMAUGG.
(23) NUNATH LOOGAGA MIUT BINGOI
The Eskimo name for some dunes in Alaska, according to The Book of Names by J. N. Hook.
Do you remember – when you were a child – learning (then gleefully reciting) what youthought was the longest word in the English language? Was it ANTI DIS ESTABLISHMENT ARIAN ISM? Or the similarly long SUPER CALI FRAGI LISTIC EXPI ALI DOCIOUS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are longer ones...
However, there is no easy answer that we can give when our visitors ask us for the longest word in the English language. Most very long words only occur in one or two dictionaries, and often they are debatably not words at all. For example, ANTI DISESTABLISH MENT ARIAN ISM has possibly never really been used to mean "the belief which opposes removing the tie between church and state." Certainly 99 in 100 times it is used as an example of a long word. And who says you can't put NON– (for example) on the beginning to make it even longer?
This problem is even more evident in chemical names. Most chemicals are named using a systematic naming system which methodically describes the molecule's structure. Some molecules, such as proteins, are huge, so it is possible to come up with genuine words containing millions of letters. But of course no chemist uses these really long names in practice.
Here we look at some of the longest words in English dictionaries, and discuss whether they should be considered to be real words. Interesting long chemical termsand place names are listed separately afterwards. The red numbers indicate the length (number of letters) of the word that follows.
Longest Words
(45) PNEUMONO ULTRA MICRO SCOPIC SILICO VOLCANO CONIOSIS (also spelledPNEUMONO ULTRA MICRO SCOPIC SILICO VOLCANO KONIOSIS) = a lung disease caused by breathing in particles of siliceous volcanic dust.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, andChambers dictionaries.(37) HEPATICO CHOLANGIO CHOLECYST ENTERO STOMIES = 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.
(34) SUPER CALI FRAGI LISTIC EXPI ALI DOCIOUS = song title from the Walt Disney movie Mary Poppins.
It is in the Oxford English Dictionary.
That saved me achin' nose,
The biggest word you ever 'eard,
And this is 'ow it goes:
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"
From Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and Preposterous Words.
(29) FLOCCI NAUCINI HILIPIL IFICATION = an estimation of something as worthless.
This is the longest word in the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Interestingly the most common letter in English, E, does not appear in this word at all, whilst I occurs a total of nine times. The word dates back to 1741. The 1992 Guinness Book of World Records calls flocci nauci nihili pilification the longest real word in theOxford English Dictionary, and refers to pneumono ultra micro scopic silico volcanokoniosis as the longest made-up one.
(28) ANTI DIS ESTABLISH MENT ARIAN ISM = the belief which opposes removing the tie between church and state.
Probably the most popular of the "longest words" in recent decades.
(27) HONORI FICABILI TUDINI TATIBUS = honorableness.
The word first appeared in English in 1599, and in 1721 was listed by Bailey's Dictionary as the longest word in English. It was used by Shakespeare in Love's Labor's Lost (Costard; Act V, Scene I):
I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word;
for thou art not so long by the head as
honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier
swallowed than a flap-dragon."
(27) ELECTRO ENCEPHALO GRAPHICALLY
The longest unhyphenated word in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th Ed.), joint with ethylene diamine tetraacetate (see below).
(27) ANTI TRANSUB STAN TIA TION ALIST = one who doubts that consecrated bread and wine actually change into the body and blood of Christ.
(21) DIS PRO PORTION ABLE NESS and (21) IN COM PREHEN SIB ILITIES
These are described by the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records as the longest words in common usage.
Some say SMILES is the longest word because there is a MILE between the first and last letters!
Chemical Terms
Two chemical terms (3,641 and 1,913 letters long) have appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records. They were withdrawn because they have never been used by chemists, and there is no theoretical limit to the length of possible legitimate chemical terms. A DNA molecule could have a name of over 1,000,000,000 letters if it was written out in full.(1,185) ACETYL SERYL TYROSYL SERYL ISO LEUCYL THREONYL SERYL PROLYL SERYLGLUTAMINYL PHENYL ALANYL VALYL PHENYL ALANYL LEUCYL SERYL SERYL VALYLTRYPTOPHYL ALANYL ASPARTYL PROLYL ISOLEUCYL GLUTAMYL LEUCYL LEUCYLASPARAGINYL VALYL CYSTEINYL THREONYL SERYL SERYL LEUCYL GLYCYLASPARAGINYL GLUTAMINYL PHENYL ALANYL GLUTAMINYL THREONYL GLUTAMINYLGLUTAMINYL ALANYL ARGINYL THREONYL THREONYL GLUTAMINYL VALYLGLUTAMINYL GLUTAMINYL PHENYL ALANYL SERYL GLUTAMINYL VALYL TRYPTOPHYLLYSYL PROLYL PHENYL ALANYL PROLYL GLUTAMINYL SERYL THREONYL VALYLARGINYL PHENYL ALANYL PROLYL GLYCYL ASPARTYL VALYL TYROSYL LYSYL VALYLTYROSYL ARGINYL TYROSYL ASPARAGINYL ALANYL VALYL LEUCYL ASPARTYLPROLYL LEUCYL ISOLEUCYL THREONYL ALANYL LEUCYL LEUCYL GLYCYL THREONYLPHENYL ALANYL ASPARTYL THREONYL ARGINYL ASPARAGINYL ARGINYL ISOLEUCYLISOLEUCYL GLUTAMYL VALYL GLUTAMYL ASPARAGINYL GLUTAMINYL GLUTAMINYLSERYL PROLYL THREONYL THREONYL ALANYL GLUTAMYL THREONYL LEUCYLASPARTYL ALANYL THREONYL ARGINYL ARGINYL VALYL ASPARTYL ASPARTYLALANYL THREONYL VALYL ALANYL ISOLEUCYL ARGINYL SERYL ALANYL ASPARAGINYLISOLEUCYL ASPARAGINYL LEUCYL VALYL ASPARAGINYL GLUTAMYL LEUCYL VALYLARGINYL GLYCYL THREONYL GLYCYL LEUCYL TYROSYL ASPARAGINYL GLUTAMINYLASPARAGINYL THREONYL PHENYL ALANYL GLUTAMYL SERYL METHIONYL SERYLGLYCYL LEUCYL VALYL TRYPTOPHYL THREONYL SERYL ALANYL PROLYL ALANYLSERINE = Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Dahlemense Strain.This word has appeared in the American Chemical Society's Chemical Abstracts and is thus considered by some to be the longest real word.
(39) TETRA METHYL DIAMINO BENZHYDRYL PHOSPHINOUS = a type of acid.
This is the longest chemical term in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed.). It does not have its own entry but appears under a citation for another word.
(37) FORMALDEHYDE TETRA METHYL AMIDO FLUORIMUM
Chemical term in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed.).
(37) DIMETHYL AMIDO PHENYL DIMETHYL PYRAZOLONE
Chemical term in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed.).
(31) DICHLORO DIPHENYL TRICHLORO ETHANE = a pesticide used to kill lice; abbrv. DDT.
It is the longest word in the Macquarie Dictionary and is also in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Ed.).
(29) TRINITRO PHENYL METHYL NITRAMINE = a type of explosive.
This is the longest chemical term in Webster's Dictionary (3rd Ed.).
(27) ETHYLENE DIAMINE TETRA ACETATE
The longest unhyphenated word in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th Ed.), joint with electroencephalographically (see above).
(26) ETHYLENE DIAMINE TETRA ACETIC = a type of acid; abbrv. EDTA.
This word appears in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th Ed.).
Place Names
There are many long place names around the world. Here are a few of the largest.(85) TAUMATA WHAKA TANGI HANGA KOAUAU O TAMATEA TURIPUKAKA PIKI MAUNGAHORO NUKU POKAI WHENUA KITANA TAHUA hill in New Zealand. This Maori name was in general use, but is now generally abbreviated to Taumata. The name means: the summit of the hill, where Tamatea, who is known as the land eater, slid down, climbed up and swallowed mountains, played on his nose flute to his loved one.
(66) GORSA FAWDDACH AIDRAIGODAN HEDDO GLEDDOLON PENRHYN AREUR DRAETHCEREDIGION
A town in Wales. The name means: the Mawddach station and its dragon teeth at the Northern Penrhyn Road on the golden beach of Cardigan bay.
(58) LLAN FAIR PWLL GWYN GYLL GOGERY CHWYRN DROBWLL LLANTY SILIO GOGOGOCH
A town in North Wales. The name roughly translates as: St. Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red cave. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
(41) CHAR GOGAGOG MAN CHAR GOGAGOG CHAR BUNA GUNGAMOG
Another name for Lake Webster in Massachusetts. Probably the longest name in the United States. Alternative spellings are:
(44) CHAR GOGGAGOGG MAN CHAUG GAGOGG CHAU BUNA GUNGAMOGG,
(45) CHAR GOGGAGOGG MAN CHAUG GAGOGG CHAU BUNA GUNGAMAUGG,
(44) CHAR GOGGAGOGG MAN CHAUG GAGOGG CHA BUNA GUNGAMAUGG.
(23) NUNATH LOOGAGA MIUT BINGOI
The Eskimo name for some dunes in Alaska, according to The Book of Names by J. N. Hook.
Related Articles
- Thailand Has World's Longest Place Name by Eric Shackle
About the longest place names in the world. - Travel From Å To Y – By Internet by Eric Shackle
About the shortest place names in the world. - Who Wrote the World's Shortest Poem? by Eric Shackle
About the shortest poem ever written.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
New Words
New Words
Below are some of the new words to enter our most recently published dictionary of current English: the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Revised Eleventh Edition).
n. Medicine a surgical operation involving the removal of excess flesh from the abdomen.
aerobicized or aerobicised
adj. (of a person's body) toned by aerobic exercise: aerobicized Hollywood women.
n. terrorist acts intended to disrupt or damage a country's agriculture.
– derivatives
agroterrorist n.
n. Scottish a person's buttocks.
– origin 1930s : prob. a blend of behind and hough + -ie.
– phrases
best of breed
· any item or product considered to be the best of its kind.
n.
2. chiefly US the unintended adverse results of a political action or situation.
n. a celebrity who is well known in fashionable society.
– origin 1930s : blend of celebrity and debutante.
n. a type of hip-hop or rap music characterized by repeated shouted catchphrases and elements typical of electronic dance music, such as prominent bass.
adj. US, chiefly black slang (of a person) very excited or full of energy.
– origin 1990s : perh. an alt. past part. of crank1 or a blend of crazy and drunk.
– phrases
the elephant in the room a major problem or controversial issue which is obviously present but avoided as a subject for discussion because it is more comfortable to do so.
n.
1.
· a fine dispersion of one liquid or puréed food substance in another: ravioli with pea and ginger emulsion.
n. chiefly US the man-made features used in landscape architecture, e.g. paths or walls, as contrasted with vegetation.
– derivatives
hardscaping n.
hoody (also hoodie)
n.
· informal a person, especially a youth, wearing a hooded top.
– origin 1960s : of unknown origin.
n. a person who is advised, trained, or counselled by a mentor.
n. (in cosmetic surgery) a procedure in which multiple tiny injections of pharmaceuticals, vitamins, etc. are delivered into the mesodermal layer of tissue under the skin, to promote the loss of fat or cellulite.
n. (in East Africa) an older person; an elder.
– origin Kiswahili, 'ancestor, parent, old person'.
adj. tending to cause obesity.
n.
3. Brit. informal a stupid person.
n. (in Japanese cookery) a sauce or dip made with soy sauce and citrus juice.
– origin Japanese, from pon 'smack, pop' + zu, from su 'vinegar'.
n. a wild, crazy, or violent person.
adj. wild, crazy, or violent.
– origin 1920s : appar. an alt. of rage.
n.
3. (also extraordinary rendition) (especially in the US) the practice of sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners.
n. a new term created from an existing word in order to distinguish the original referent of the existing word from a later one that is the product of progress or technological development (e.g. acoustic guitar for guitar).
– origin 1980s : blend of retro- and -onym.
n. informal guitar riffs, especially in rock music.
n. the practice of spying on the user of a cash-dispensing machine or other electronic device in order to obtain their personal identification number, password, etc.
– derivatives
shoulder-surfer n.
n. (in the UK) a self-invested personal pension, a pension plan that enables the holder to choose and manage the investments made.
therapize or therapise
v. subject to psychological therapy: you don't need to therapize or fix each other.
adj. (of a mobile phone) having three frequencies, enabling it to be used in different regions (typically Europe and the US).
n. Brit. informal a stupid or foolish person.
– origin 1980s : perh. a blend of twit1 or twat and plonker.
v. [often as noun upskilling] teach (an employee) additional skills.
· (of an employee) learn additional skills.
n. US a very divisive political issue, regarded as a basis for drawing voters away from an opposing party whose supporters have diverging opinions on it.
Yogalates (also trademark Yogilates)
n. a fitness routine that combines Pilates exercises with the postures and breathing techniques of yoga.
– origin 1990s : blend of yoga and Pilates.
n.
3. a computer controlled by a hacker without the owner's knowledge, which is made to send large quantities of data to a website, making it inaccessible to other users.
Useful links
Bubbling Under: words not yet in an Oxford Dictionary
How new words are added to Oxford Dictionaries
Have you spotted a new word you'd like to tell Oxford Dictionaries about? Just email us with the word and a brief explanation of what it means, and if possible, where you came across it, to askoxford@oup.com.
Please note, we cannot respond to every new word suggestion we receive, especially invented words. See our FAQ: Will you put the word I have invented into one of your dictionaries?
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Easily Confused Words
A Guide To Writing in English: Easily Confused Words
from http://www.edufind.com/english/writing/easily_confused_words.cfm
Select the word pair that you want to review:
| Word 1 | Word 2 | review |
| accept | except |  |
| adoptive | adopted | |
| adverse | averse | |
| advice | advise | |
| affect | effect | |
| all ready | already | |
| all together | altogether | |
| allot | a lot | |
| allusion | illusion | |
| altar | alter | |
| ambiguous | ambivalent | |
| among | between | |
| amoral | immoral | |
| appraise | apprise | |
| are | our | |
| augur | auger | |
| award | reward | |
| bad | badly | |
| beside | besides | |
| brake | break | |
| breathe | breath | |
| by | buy | |
| by | bye | |
| can | may | |
| canvas | canvass | |
| capital | capitol | |
| censure | censor | |
| cite | site | |
| clothes | cloths | |
| coarse | course | |
| compare | contrast | |
| compare to | compare with | |
| complement | compliment | |
| consul | counsel | |
| continuous | continual | |
| council | counsel | |
| decent | descent | |
| definite | definitive | |
| defuse | diffuse | |
| delusion | illusion | |
| delusion | allusion | |
| descent | dissent | |
| desert | dessert | |
| discreet | discrete | |
| draft | draught | |
| egoism | egotism | |
| envelop | envelope | |
| flounder | founder | |
| forth | fourth | |
| good | well | |
| grisly | grizzly | |
| hear | here | |
| hoard | horde | |
| hole | whole | |
| hour | our | |
| imply | infer | |
| incidence | incidents | |
| incite | insight | |
| instance | instants | |
| insure | ensure | |
| its | it's | |
| knew | new | |
| know | no | |
| later | latter | |
| lay | lie | |
| lead | led | |
| leave | let | |
| loose | lose | |
| luxuriant | luxurious | |
| marital | martial | |
| notable | noticeable | |
| object | subject | |
| officious | official | |
| passed | past | |
| peace | piece | |
| perspicuous | perspicacious | |
| plain | plane | |
| pore | pour | |
| precede | proceed | |
| precedence | precedent | |
| presence | presents | |
| principal | principle | |
| proscribe | prescribe | |
| quiet | quit | |
| quiet | quite | |
| rain | reign | |
| rain | rein | |
| raise | rise | |
| regretful | regrettable | |
| sea | see | |
| sit | set | |
| site | sight | |
| stationary | stationery | |
| statue | stature | |
| statue | statute | |
| story | storey | |
| than | then | |
| their | there | |
| their | they're | |
| threw | through | |
| to | too | |
| to | two | |
| tortuous | torturous | |
| vain | vein | |
| vain | vane | |
| vociferous | voracious | |
| waist | waste | |
| weak | week | |
| wear | were | |
| wear | where | |
| weather | whether | |
| whether | rather | |
| whose | who's | |
| your | you're | |
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