Interesting Facts

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New England Patriots · #1 Post by **New England Patriots** » Mon May 30, 2005 3:41 am

Lets get to know some cool and interesting facts here.

The longest word in the english language is:
PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS

It Means: Lung Disease From the inhalation of volcanic dust.

Jafar · #2 Post by **Jafar** » Mon May 30, 2005 1:05 pm

Show me someone who can pronounce that, and I'll eat my hat!

Gronagor · #3 Post by **Gronagor** » Mon May 30, 2005 1:29 pm

Looks pretty simple. Break up the word into meaningful words and it should be easy. Pneumo/ultra/microscopic/silico/volcano/coniosis.

Although I doubt whether that should be one word.

GuJiaXian · #4 Post by **GuJiaXian** » Mon May 30, 2005 2:58 pm

Yeah, I knew about this word years and years ago (yes, I actually own several unabridged dictionaries--comes from having a college degree in English, and being married to someone who has a Master's in English).

Anyway, it's pronounced:
new-mono-ultra-micro-scopic-sili-co-volcano-coni-osis

My second favorite "long" English word is "floccinaucinihilipilification", which means "the estimation of something as worthless."

For the record, it's pronounced:
flokee-nokee-nili-pili-fi-cation

Ghost_Rider · #5 Post by **Ghost_Rider** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 1:09 am

Heck those aren't easy to say even after they're broken up like that. Maybe if you say them very, VERY slowly.

Try saying them each three times quickly.

I know sometimes German words can be long, but I'm surprised to see such long words in the English language.

Klytos · #6 Post by **Klytos** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 3:28 am

Another totally unrelated interesting fact I discovered a couple of days ago.

Rugby League and Rugby Union were both played in France in the early part of the 20th century. By the 1930's League was the more popular of the two. When the German's invaded in WW2, the officials of Union cozied up to the occupiers and within a couple of years had League banned as a sport and all League club assets were handed over to the Union. This ban was lifted after the war but the assets were never returned and League couldn't include the word Rugby in it's name until 1985.