Antidisestablishmentarianism
Antidisestablishmentarianism is a political philosophy that is opposed to the separation of church and state. The term originated in the context of the nineteenth century Church of England, where theocratic "antidisestablishmentarians" were opposed to proposals to remove its status as the state church of England. Antidisestablishmentarianism succeeded in England, but failed in Ireland and Wales, with the Church of Ireland being disestablished in 1871 and the Church in Wales in 1920. The term has largely fallen into disuse, although the issue itself is still current (see Act of Settlement).
Antidisestablishmentarianism(29 letters) is often quoted as one of the longest English words that has an actual meaning (as opposed to words that were made up for the purpose of being long), although there are longer words that fall in the same category: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis(45 letters) (A mining disease caught from inhaling soot, although many site this word as "not a real word". In addition the word "Hippopotomonstrosesquipidelian" (30 letters) (aply meaning "long") also beats anti ... Also, new virtually unused specifics in chemistry are simply named with jumbles of letters. The full name of the tryptophan synthetase (A protein, an enzyme with 267 amino acids) extends to 1,913 letters:
methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylalanyla lanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylglycylalany lphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylvalylthreonylleucylglycylaspa rtylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleu cylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspar tylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylser ylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonyliso leucylglutaminylaspfraginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylpheny lalanylalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcyste inylphenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylargin ylglutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylgl ycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalylpheny lalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalany ltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylva lylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylglu taminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutaminylalan ylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanylprolylisoleucy lphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanylaspartyl aspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryl tyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylseryl arginylalanylglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparag inylarginylalanylalanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidylleucy lvalylalanyllysylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalany lprolylprolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylser ylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylas partylalanylglycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylser ylalanylisoleucylvalyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhi stidylasparaginylisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethio nylleucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylp rolylmethion yllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine.
Then again, if anyone every tells you that anti ... is the longest word in the world you can simply quip and say that it is "Antidisestablishmentarianism" (30 letters).