Nearby Words

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

[noo-muh-noh-uhl-truh-mahy-kruh-skop-ik-sil-i-koh-vol-key-noh-koh-nee-oh-sis, nyoo-] Origin

pneu·mo·no·ul·tra·mi·cro·scop·ic·sil·i·co·vol·ca·no·co·ni·o·sis

[noo-muh-noh-uhl-truh-mahy-kruh-skop-ik-sil-i-koh-vol-key-noh-koh-nee-oh-sis, nyoo-]
noun
an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.

Origin:
< Neo-Latin; see pneumono-, ultramicroscopic, silica, volcano, (pneumono)coniosis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

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Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis has a plethora of syllables.
So is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Does it mean:
(used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.)
the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
Main Entry:  pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
Part of Speech:  n
Definition:  supposedly the longest word in a dictionary, an artificial word said to mean a lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2012 Dictionary.com, LLC
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
"A facetious word alleged to mean 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust' but occurring chiefly as an instance of a very long word." [OED]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
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