Longest word in French

This article lists some of the longest words in the French language.

The longest word listed below, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie (36 letters) is the fear (or phobia) of long words. The word is formed from the Latin word sesquipedalia (singular sesquipedalis), which the Ancient Roman poet Horace used in Ars Poetica to describe excessively long words; literally, it means "a foot-and-a-half long". The length of the word hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie is embellished with the prefix hippopotomonstro ("monster hippopotamus"), which is a characterisation of the feared words.

Like the other phobias in the list, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie can be pluralised by adding the letter s to the end. The adjective interdépartemental (18 letters), which also appears in the list, can be pluralised by appending the letters es.

Long words

Word Letters Syllables Part of speech Translation Ref.
hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie 36Nounhippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia[1]
hexakosioihexekontahexaphobie 2913Nounhexakosioihexekontahexaphobia[2][3]
anticonstitutionnellement 259Adverbanticonstitutionally[3]
apopathodiaphulatophobie 24Noun[4][5][6]
désinstitutionnalisation 24Noundeinstitutionalization
autocheirothanatophobie 23Noun[7]
paraskevidékatriaphobie 2310Nounparaskavedekatriaphobia[8][3]
dyspondéromorphophobie 22Noun[9]
triskaïdekaphobiebie 20Nountriskaidekaphobia
interdépartemental 18Adjectiveinterdepartmental[10]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Case 2014, p. 87.
  2. ↑ Case 2014, p. 86–87.
  3. 1 2 3 Martin, Philippe (2018). "Groupes accentuels et phrasé". Intonation, structure prosodique et ondes cérébrales: introduction à l'analyse prosodique. Série Linguistique du langage oral (in French). London: ISTE Editions. ISBN 978-1-78405-370-3. OCLC 1033658031 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Case 2014, pp. 27–28.
  5. ↑ George, Kenneth E. M. (1991). Néologismes du français contemporain. Datations et documents lexicographiques (in French). Klincksieck. p. 175. ISBN 978-2-252-02749-3. OCLC 256644341.
  6. ↑ Leconte, Bernard (2007). "Diafoirus en pleine forme". A la recherche du bon français (in French). Éditions Lanore. p. 57. ISBN 978-2-85157-301-8 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Case 2014, p. 34–35.
  8. ↑ Case 2014, p. 125.
  9. ↑ Case 2014, p. 65.
  10. ↑ "Interdépartemental". Le Dictionnaire. Retrieved 2018-06-25.

References

  • Case, Camille (2014). Dictionnaire commenté des phobies (in French). Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-326-01419-3. OCLC 980437079 – via Google Books.
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