Longest European words
German?s supposedly longest word in the world?s vocabularies has been considered too much for the German bureaucrats and is being consigned as obsolete.
Rindfleischetikettierungs?berwachungsaufgaben?bertragungsgesetz
meaning ?the law concerning the delegation of duties for the supervision of cattle marking and the labeling of beef? is 63 letters long.
The Germans are renowned for their love of long words but they are not the only ones who like to create complex compound words as nouns.
Η ελληνική γλώσσα κατέχει ένα μοναδικό ρεκόρ καθώς η μεγαλύτερη πραγματική λέξη στον κόσμο υπάρχει στο έργο «Εκκλησιάζουσες» του Αριστοφάνη και αποτελείται από 172 γράμματα, 27 συνθετικά και 78 συλλαβές! Ο Αριστοφάνης εκμεταλλεύεται στο έπακρον την εκπληκτική ευχέρεια της Ελληνικής να σχηματίζει πολυσύλλαβες λέξεις, περιγράφοντας μέσα σε 172 γράμματα μια ολόκληρη συνταγή μαγειρικής, η οποία περιλαμβάνει ένα συνονθύλευμα τροφών! Η αριστοφανική λέξη βρίσκεται στους στίχους 1169-1175 και έχει καταγραφεί στο βιβλίο των Ρεκόρ Γκίνες:
λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεοκρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμματοσιλφιολιπαρομελιτοκατακεχυμενο
κιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστεραλεκτρυονοπτοπιφαλλιδοκιγκλοπελειολαγ?οσιραιοβαφητραγα
νοπτερυγών?
Ο λεξιλογικός αυτός «σιδηρόδρομος» είναι δύσκολο να διαβαστεί απνευστί, ενώ με μια μικρή προσπάθεια μπορούμε να μεταφράσουμε:
-πάστοπεταλίδο-γαλεοσάλαχο-τούρσοπιπεράτο-μυαλοκόμματα-
-μελοπερεχύτο-μυτζηθρότυρο-τρύγονοκοτσύφο-τσιχλοπίτσουνα –
-ψήτοσουσουράδο-κοτοκέφαλα-άγριοπεριστέρο-λαγοκούνελα –
-στράγαλοπετμέζο-φτερουγόδιπλες.
meaning a dish compounded of all kinds of dainties, fish, fowl and sauces.
Bulgarian:
neprotivokonstitutsionstvuvatelstvuvayte
(Bulgarina: 40 letters) something against constitution
Croatian:
prijestolonaslijednikovica
(Croation: 26 letters) the wife of a heir to the throne
Czech:
nejneobhospodarov?vatelnej??mi
(Czech: 30 letters) the less farmed
Danish:
arbejdsl?shedsunderst?ttelse
(28 letters) unemployment benefit
tilpasningsvanskeligheder
(25 letters) adjustment difficulties
Dutch:
kindercarnavalsoptochtvoorbereidingswerkzaamheden
(Dutch: 48 letters) preparation activities for a children?s carnival procession
English
As for the English language there are somewhat fanciful claims for extremely long words. However, more realistically here are the following in descending length:
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
(English: 45 letters) the longest word in a major dictionary, a technical word for a lung disease created by silica dust inhalation
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
(English: 34 letters; from the Mary Poppins film and musical with a fanciful defintion)
hippopotomonstrosesquipedalianism
(English: 33 letters) which means the love of long words
pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism
(English: 30 letters) the longest noncoined word in a major dictionary for a specific inherited medical disorder
floccinaucinihilipilification
(English: 29 letters coined in 1741) meaning the categorizing of something that is useless or trivial (the longest unchallenged non-technical word)
antidisestablishmentarianism
(English: 28 letters) the longest non-coined and non-technical word
Estonian:
raudtee?les?idukoht
(Estonian: 19 letters) train crossing point
Finnish:
lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas
technical warrant officer trainee specialized in aircraft jet engines
k?sipyyherullaj?rjestelm?
an automatic towel system for drying your hands
peruspalveluliikelaitoskuntayhtym?
a municipality providing basic services
French:
anticonstitutionnellement
unconstitutionally
German:
Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapit?nsm?tze
(48 letters) A cap used by a captain on the river of Donau.
Dudelsackspfeifenmachergesellenpr?fung
(38 letters) exam for those who want to become a specialist in making pipes for bagpipes.
Greek:
ακτινοχρυσοφαιδροβροντολαμπροφεγγοφωτοστόλιστος
(47 letters) dressed in golden-shining, thundering and incandescent clothes
σκουληκομυρμηγκότρυπα
(21 letters) an anthill
Hungarian:
megszents?gtelenithetetlens?gesked?seltek?rt
(44 letters) ?for your unprofaneable actions?
legmegvesztegethetetlenebbek
(28 letters) the least corruptible ones
Italian:
precipitevolissimevolmente
(26 letters) to do something in a hurry
psiconeuroendocrinoimmunologia
(30 letters) is a discipline that deals with the relationship between the functioning of the nervous system, the immune system and the endocrine system
Lithuanian:
nebeprisiki?kiakopusteliaudavome
(30 letters) we didn’t pick rabbit cabbage
Romanian:
otorinolaringologie
(19 letters) Otorhinolaringology
sternocleidomastoidian
(22 letters) The sternocleidomastoid muscle is located in the front of the neck
Polish:
konstantynopolitanczykiewicz?wna
(31 letters) a girl living in Constantinople (modern Istanbul)
Portuguese:
Anticonstitucionalissimamente
of or against the constitution of a state, organization
Serbian:
prestolonaslednikovica
(Serbian: 22 letters) wife of Crown Prince
Slovenian:
starocerkvenoslovan?cina
Old Church Slavik Language
Slovak:
najnevypoc?tavatelnej??
the most difficult example to calculate
Spanish:
Anticonstitucionalmente
The way in which something has been done when it was against the Constitution.
contrarrevolucionario
Person who favors or is part of the counter-revolution.
Swedish:
nordv?stersj?kustartilleriflygspaningssimulatoranl?ggningsmaterielunderh?ll ? suppf?ljningssystemdiskussionsinl?ggsf?rberedelsearbeten
north west sea coastal artillery reconnaissance flight simulator facility equipmentntenance follow-up discussion posts preparatory work
Turkish:
Afyonkarahisarlilardanlarmis
They are said to belong to the family that came from Afyonkarahisar
Muvaffakiyetsizlestiricilestiriveremeyebileceklerimizdenmissinizcesine
As if you would be from those we cannot easily/quickly make a maker of unsuccessful ones
Welsh:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
a railway station on the island of Anglesey in Wales