The Dictionary’s Longest Word

Can you say it? Can you figure out what it means?

List all the root words and affixes you can recognize and define to see if they can help you to write a definition for this 45 letter word!

“Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis”

pneumo- : of the lungs, respiration; air, gas (prefix)

ultra : beyond, extreme (prefix)

micro- : small (prefix)

-scopic : look, see (suffix)

silicosis : lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust; silicon dioxide is found in glass and concrete

volcano : from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire (the lungs are inflamed)

konis : Greek for “dust”

-osis : diseased condition (suffix)

This 45-letter word was coined (created) in 1935 by the president of the National Puzzlers’ League and first included in a dictionary in 1939.

Can you think of any other words that have been created and added to the Dictionary in the last 20 years? What new words will need to be invented and added soon?