Brewer's: Long Words

Agathokakological. (Southey: The Doctor.)

Alcomiroziropoulopilousitounitapignac. The giantess. (Croquemitaine, iii. 2.) Amoronthologosphorus. (See Hair.) (The Three Hairs.) Anantachaturdasivratakatha. (Sanskrit work.) (See Trübner's Literary Record.)

Antipericatametanaparbeugedamphi-cribrationes Toordicantium. One of the books in the library of St. Victor. (Rabelais: Pantagruel, ii. 7.)

Batrachomyomachia (battle of the frogs and mice). A Greek mock heroic. Cluninstaridysarchides. (Plautus.)

Deanthropomorphisation.

Don Juan Nepomuceno de Burionago-natotorecagageazcoecha. An employe in the finance department of Madrid (1867).

Drimtaidhvrickhilliohattan, in the Isle of Mull, Argyleshire.

Honorificabilitudinitatibus, called the longest word in the (?) English language. It frequently occurs in old plays. (See Bailey's Dictionary.) The “quadradimensionality” is almost as long.

“Thou art not so long by the head as honorific-abilitudinitatibus.” —Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost, v. 1.

Inanthropomorphisability of deity.

Jungefrauenzimmerdurchschwind-suchttoedtungs-gegenverein (German. (See Notes and Queries, vol. v. p. 124, first series.)

Kagwadawwacomëgishearg. An Indian chief, who died in Wisconsin in 1866.

It is one of the longest words extant (179 English and 169 Greek letters and consisting of 78 syllables). (Aristophanes: Ekklesiazousai, v. 1169.)

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrn-drobwllllandyssiliogogogoch. The name of a Welsh village in Anglesea. In the postal directory the first twenty letters only are given as a sufficient address for practical purposes, but the full name contains 59 letters. The meaning is, “The church of St. Mary in a hollow of white hazel, near to the rapid whirlpool, and to St. Tisilio church, near to a red cave.”

“What, Mr. Manhound, was it not enough thus to have morcrocastebezasteverestegrigeligoscop-apondrillated us all in our upper members with your botched mittens, but you must also apply such morderegrippiatabirofreluchamburdureca-quelurintimpaniments on our shin-bones with the hard tops and extremities of your cobbled shoes.” —Rabelais, illustrated by Gustavc Dore, p. 438.

They morramborizeverzengirizequo-quemorgasacbaquevezinemaffretiding my poor eye. (Rabelais: Pantagruel, iv. 15.)

Nitrophenylenediamine. A dye of an intense red colour.

“Dinitroaniline, chloroxynaphthalic acid, which may be used for colouring wool in intense red; and nitrophenylenediamine of chromatic brilliancy.” —WilliamCrookes: The Times, October 5th, 1868.

Polyphrasticontinomimegalondulaton.

“Why not wind up the famous ministerial declaration with `Konx Ompax' or the mystic `Om' or that difficult expression `Polyphrasti-continomimegalondulaton?' ” —The Star.

M. N. Rostocostojambedanesse, author of After Beef, Mustard. (Rabelais: Pantagruel, ii. 7.) Sankashtachaturthivratodyapana. (Sanskrit work.) (See Trübner's Literary Record. Forster gives one of 152 syllables.

Tetramethyldiamidobenzhydrols.

“The general depth of modern researches in structural chemistry must be explained, even to those who are not interested in the mystery of tryphenylmethans, the tetramethyldiamidobenz-hydrols, and other similarly terrific terms used by chemists.” —Nineteenth Century (Aug., 1893, p. 248).

“Miss Burney has furnished the longest compound in the English tongue: `the sudden-at-the-moment-though-from-lingering-illness-often-previously-expected death of Mr. Burney's wife.” —De Vere.

Zürchersalzverbrauchsbuchhaltungs-verordnung. (Ausland.)

“Conturbabantur Constantinopolitani, Innumerabilibus sollicitudinibus.”

“Constantinopolitan maladministration Superinduces denationalisation.”

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894

Longboat

Long Tom Coffin