Discombobulated


I adore words. They are my happy place when a touch of boredom sets into an unplanned day. Here are a few, with their meanings, that happened my way during a “long word” binge on the Internet.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest words in the dictionary — and, in an ironic twist, is the name for a fear of long words. Sesquipedalophobia is another term for the phobia. (I’ve never heard of this one.)

Antidisestablishmentarianism (/ˌæntidɪsɪˌstæblɪʃmənˈtɛəriənɪzəm/ ( listen), US also /ˌæntaɪ-/ ( listen)) is a position that advocates that a state Church (the “established church”) should continue to receive government patronage, rather than be disestablished. (I knew about this one but have never used it.)

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word as “a nonsense word, originally used esp. by children, and typically expressing excited approbation: fantastic, fabulous”, while Dictionary.com says it is “used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.” (This one is an old favorite from the Mary Poppins movie.)

If you are feeling a little confused by these words, don’t worry, it may only mean that you are slightly discombobulated. Happy Saturday.

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