Longest word in Spanish

This article describes some of the longest words in the Spanish language.

Esternocleidooccipitomastoideos (31 letters) is the plural of the noun esternocleidooccipitomastoideo, which is the sternocleidomastoid, a muscle in the human neck.[1] The word has a 22-letter synonym: esternocleidomastoideo,[2][3][4] which is shorter because it omits the Latin prefix occipito- ('occipital').[5] Both words are abbreviated as ECOM.[4]

The 24-letter word electroencefalografistas, plural of electroencefalografista, means 'electroencephalographists' or 'electroencephalographers': specialists in the brain measurement technology of electroencephalography (EEG).[3][6]

The 23-letter adverb anticonstitucionalmente means 'anticonstitutionally'.[7] Anticonstitucionalmente is also the Portuguese translation; the French translation, anticonstitutionnellement, is an exceptionally long word as well (25 letters).[7]

Long words edit

In the table below, all of the Spanish nouns except for arteriosclerosis can be pluralised by adding an s (es for internacionalizaciones) to the end. The adjective otorrinolaringológico can also be pluralised with an s; the plurals of the other adjectives end in es.

The RAE column indicates whether the Real Academia Española lists and defines the word in the Diccionario de la lengua española, its official dictionary.

Word Letters Syllables Part of speech Translation RAE Ref.
hipopotomonstrosesquipedaliofobia 33 13 noun hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia  
esternocleidooccipitomastoideo 30 13 noun sternocleidomastoid   [1]
hexakosioihexekontahexafobia 28 10 noun hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia  
anticonstitucionalmente 23 9 adverb anticonstitutionally   [7]
electroencefalografista 23 10 noun electroencephalographer   [3][6]
esternocleidomastoideo 22 9 noun sternocleidomastoid   [2][8]
electroencefalografía 21 10 noun electroencephalography   [8][9]
otorrinolaringológico 21 10 adjective otorhinolaryngological   [10]
internacionalización 20 8 noun internationalization   [11]
electroencefalograma 20 9 noun electroencephalogram   [8][12]
otorrinolaringología 20 10 noun otorhinolaryngology   [13]
electrocardiografía 19 9 noun electrocardiography   [14][15]
desafortunadamente 18 8 adjective unfortunately   [16]
anticonstitucional 18 7 adjective anticonstitutional   [17]
desconsoladamente 17 7 adverb disconsolately   [18]
interculturalidad 17 7 noun interculturality   [19]
arteriosclerosis 16 6 noun arteriosclerosis   [8][20]
electrodoméstico 16 7 noun home appliance   [8][21]
inconstitucional 16 6 adjective unconstitutional   [22]
limpiaparabrisas 16 7 noun windshield wiper   [23]
inexorablemente 15 7 adverb inexorably   [24]
paralelepípedo 14 7 noun parallelepiped   [8][25]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Roldán Calzado, Juan Luis (2008). "La palabra más larga". Me la juego a letras (in Spanish). Lulu Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-4092-2893-6. Retrieved 15 March 2017 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b "esternocleidomastoideo". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Erichsen, Gerald (15 June 2014). "What Is the Longest Word in Spanish?". ThoughtCo. About, Inc. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  4. ^ a b Peninou, Gilles; Tixa, Serge (2010). "Introducción local: el cuello". Las tensiones musculares: Del diagnóstico al tratamiento (in Spanish). Barcelona: Elsevier Masson. p. 4. ISBN 978-84-458-2015-5. OCLC 889248601. Retrieved 15 March 2017 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "occipito-". Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b "electroencefalografista". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Sundem, Garth (2009). "The Longest Words in Many Languages". The Geeks' Guide to World Domination. New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-307-45034-0. OCLC 232980435. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Cuáles son las palabras más largas en español (y cuales son las falsas o inventadas)". Solosequenosenada (in Spanish). 2 April 2010.
  9. ^ "electroencefalografía". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  10. ^ "otorrinolaringológico". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  11. ^ "internacionalización". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  12. ^ "electroencefalograma". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  13. ^ "otorrinolaringología". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  14. ^ "electrocardiografía". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Separar en sílabas la palabra: electrocardiografiamente". Buscapalabras. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  16. ^ "desafortunadamente". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  17. ^ "anticonstitucional". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  18. ^ "desconsoladamente". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  19. ^ "interculturalidad". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  20. ^ "arteriosclerosis". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  21. ^ "electrodoméstico". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  22. ^ "inconstitucional". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  23. ^ "limpiaparabrisas". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  24. ^ "inexorablemente". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  25. ^ "paralelepípedo". RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 31 March 2017.

External links edit