Uncover What Is the Longest Phrase within the World

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Can a phrase be so lengthy that it takes greater than a minute to say it? It’s positively potential—and, in some instances, one minute is simply getting began!

The longest phrases on the planet vary from names of committees to medical circumstances, and all the pieces in between. So, what’s the longest phrase on the planet? Observe our information to the world’s longest phrases, what languages they’re in, and whether or not you possibly can plan on seeing them in on a regular basis dialog. (Trace: Most likely not.)

What’s the longest phrase on the planet?

In response to the Guinness World Information, the longest phrase on the planet is a 195-character Sanskrit phrase from the Fifteenth-century work titled Varadambika Parinaya.

Your entire phrase appears like this in Sanskrit:

निरन्तरान्धकारिता-दिगन्तर-कन्दलदमन्द-सुधारस-बिन्दु-सान्द्रतर-घनाघन-वृन्द-सन्देहकर-स्यन्दमान-मकरन्द-बिन्दु-बन्धुरतर-माकन्द-तरु-कुल-तल्प-कल्प-मृदुल-सिकता-जाल-जटिल-मूल-तल-मरुवक-मिलदलघु-लघु-लय-कलित-रमणीय-पानीय-शालिका-बालिका-करार-विन्द-गलन्तिका-गलदेला-लवङ्ग-पाटल-घनसार-कस्तूरिकातिसौरभ-मेदुर-लघुतर-मधुर-शीतलतर-सलिलधारा-निराकरिष्णु-तदीय-विमल-विलोचन-मयूख-रेखापसारित-पिपासायास-पथिक-लोकान्

Like most of the longest phrases on the planet, the interpretation of this Sanskrit phrase could be very particular and really unusual. It means:

“In it, the misery, brought on by thirst, to travellers was alleviated by clusters of rays of the brilliant eyes of the women; the rays that have been shaming the currents of sunshine, candy and chilly water charged with the sturdy perfume of cardamom, clove, saffron, camphor and musk and flowing out of the pitchers (held in) the lotus-like palms of maidens (seated in) the gorgeous water-sheds, product of the thick roots of combined with marjoram, (and constructed close to) the foot, coated with heaps of couch-like gentle sand, of the clusters of newly sprouting mango timber, which continuously darkened the intermediate house of the quarters, and which appeared all of the extra charming on account of the trickling drops of the floral juice, which thus induced the delusion of a row of thick wet clouds, densely full of ample nectar.” -Guinness World Information

Discover a listing of the world’s longest phrases

Though 195 characters is difficult to beat within the contest of the world’s longest phrases, some phrases in different languages come shut. Among the most spoken languages on the planet embrace phrases with over 50 characters. 

Whereas German might not have the longest phrase on the planet, there are various lengthy German phrases. Be taught a number of to impress your German-speaking buddies (and so as to add a variety of element to your conversations!)

What are the longest phrases in English?

English has its share of lengthy phrases, too. From well-known musicals to political revolutions, you’ll discover that the longest phrases in English could also be simply phrases you’ve really used earlier than!

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

The 45-letter phrase pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (pronounced NOO-muh-noh-uhl-truh-mahy-kruh-skop-ik-SIL-i-koh-vol-key-noh-koh-nee-OH-sis) is taken into account by most dictionaries to be one of many longest English phrases. It’s the identify of a lung illness. 

Like many medical phrases utilized in English, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis incorporates each Greek and Latin roots and affixes.

• pneumono: referring to the lungs 
• extremely: very
• microscopic: small-looking
• silico: sand-like
• volcano: volcanic matter
• coniosis: irritation from mud

If you put these roots collectively, you get a lung irritation illness ensuing from very small, sand-like volcanic mud. 

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Within the final accident, the English phrase hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (hi-puh-paa-tuh-muhn-strow-suh-skwipt-a-lee-oh-FOH-bee-uh) means a concern of lengthy phrases, particularly phrases with many syllables. With 36 letters and 14 syllables, it’s potential that the identify of the phobia often is the most alarming a part of it! 

If you break down hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, you get:

• hippopoto: like a hippopotamus
• monstro: like a monster
• sesquipedalia: lengthy phrases (actually “a foot and a half lengthy”)
• phobia: concern

You possibly can most likely reduce it all the way down to sesquipedalophobia, however hippopotomonstro offers the phrase a giant and scary feeling.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

When you assume that the 34-letter supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (soo-per-kal-uh-fraj-uh-lis-tik-ek-spee-al-i-DOH-shuhs) is only a nonsense phrase from Mary Poppins (1964), you’re partially proper. However now that supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is within the dictionary, it formally counts as one of many longest phrases in English!

You possibly can even break it down into components, though its components are as nonsensical as its which means:

• tremendous: above or fantastic
• cali: stunning
• fragilistic: discussing the standard of being fragile
• expiali: making amends
• docious: capable of be educated

Since supercalifragilisticexpialidocious refers to issues which might be nice and satisfying, and the which means comes from its first two roots, tremendous and cali. The remainder of it’s simply enjoyable to say!

Floccinaucinihilipilification

Though intimidating to say out loud, the 29-letter phrase floccinaucinihilipilification

(flok-suh-naw-suh-nahy-hil-uh-pil-uh-fi-KEY-shuhn) is the act of deciding that one thing is nugatory. You’re not more likely to see it in on a regular basis dialog, however that doesn’t imply you possibly can’t begin utilizing it now!

Breaking down floccinaucinihilipilification appears like this:

• flocci: a tuft of wool
• nauci: having little worth
• nihili: nothing
• pili: insignificant
• fication: the act or course of

A lot of the roots in floccinaucinihilipilification relate to having little price, with the entire phrase referring to the act of rendering one thing as insignificant.

Antidisestablishmentarianism

A well-known instance of one of many longest phrases in English, antidisestablishmentarianism (an-tee-dis-uh-stab-lish-muhn-TAIR-ee-uh-niz-uhm) means “the place of being against breaking away from an institution.” Whereas it’s not included within the Merriam-Webster dictionary for lack of historic utilization, it’s nonetheless a descriptive method to clarify a really particular stance

The roots of antidisestablishmentarianism imply:

• anti: in opposition to
• dis: un
• institution: a company
• arian: particular person associated to
• ism: perception

In Nineteenth-century Britain, antidisestablishmentarianism meant “being against altering the Anglican Church because the official state church.” Right now, it’d seek advice from an individual who’d quite not alter the established order, whereas somebody who helps disestablishmentarianism would possibly need to change issues up.

Incomprehensibility

Not like the opposite lengthy English phrases on the record, the 19-character phrase incomprehensibility (in-KAHM-pre-hens-ih-bil-ih-tees) is one thing you would possibly hear sometimes! It’s one of many longest phrases we use in fashionable dialog, and it means a state of being unable to grasp.

Damaged down, incomprehensibility appears like this:

• in: not
• comprehens: understanding
• ibility: the state

Based mostly on the size of some of the phrases you’ve learn right here, chances are you’ll marvel on the incomprehensibility of language sometimes!

What phrase takes three hours to say?

Some lengthy English phrases describe chemical compounds, akin to acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene or dimethoxytetraglycol. However none are longer than methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylalanyl…isoleucine, which is so lengthy that it’s often used with an ellipsis within the center.

The entire phrase is 189,819 letters lengthy and stretches throughout 42 full pages. When you began studying from the start, it will take you over three hours to learn all the phrase!

Why are some phrases so lengthy?

Languages with lengthy phrases usually have a phrase construction (generally known as morphology) that permits phrases to alter which means whenever you make them longer. For instance, agglutinative languages, akin to Turkish, Hungarian, and Finnish, add morphemes to a root to alter the which means of the phrase. Many agglutinative languages don’t have any restrict to what number of morphemes they will add, so their phrases can develop into fairly lengthy!

Different languages are fusional, which means that they’ve the power to mix phrases and use affixes to make very massive compound phrases. German, Dutch, Greek. and Latin-based Romance languages like Spanish and French comply with this morphology with prefixes, suffixes, compound phrases, and inflections (altering phrase endings).

Why doesn’t English have many lengthy phrases?

English contains each agglutinative and fusional components. You will have observed that the record of the longest phrases in English was primarily based mostly on fusional Greek and Latin affixes and roots (together with pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis and antidisestablishmentarianism). Phrases that come from fusional Previous English additionally use inflections to alter which means. 

However fashionable English is much less fusional and extra analytic, which means that it depends extra on phrase order to specific which means. Until you rely the fashionable phrase supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, in fact!

For long-lasting rewards, begin your studying journey

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