Perhaps the longest word in the
dictionary, yes it is a word, pronounced /ˌsu pərˌkælɪˌfrædʒəˌlɪstɪkˌɛkspi ˌælɪˈdoʊʃəs/ Or simply /soopər-kalə-frajə-listik-ekspee-alə-’douSHəs/. The most random of all
words, it’
s actually from the
words super- "above", cali- "beauty", fragilistic- "delicate", expiali- "to atone", and -docious "educable", giving the meaning atoning for being educable through delicate beauty, according to Richard Lederer. So it’s just a
long super, something
like super duper ooper schmooper tooper looper nooner fooper, you get it. It gained popularity in 1946, via Mary Poppins. But it is not the longest word, that’s a chemical name for a protein that is… 189,819 letters. WOAH! Too Long! The longest word in “common usage” would be “incomprehensibilities”, although supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is longer. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is definitely not a word used for formal speech, usually used when you have no other word to describe something, just too
amazing.
