Word of the Day ~ June 7 and 8

antidisestablishmentarianism, noun(an-tee-dis-eh-stab-lish-men-TAYR-ee-uh-niz-em)

Opposition to separation of the church and state.

[From Latin anti- (against) + dis- (apart, away) + English establish, fromLatin stabilire, from stare (to stand) + -arian (one who supports) + Greek-ism (practice or state).]

At 28 letters, it's the best-known example of a long word. Here's how you can parse the word: one of the meanings of the word establishment is makinga church an institution of the state. In the late 19th century England, therewas a movement for the separation of the church and state: disestablishment.Those opposed to the idea of separation were antidisestablishmentarians.You can see where it's going. Why not a contraantidisestablishmentarianism?

-Anu Garg (gargATwordsmith.org)

"As we said yesterday, the case for antidisestablishmentarianism has never been more threadbare. And if the case for the sovereign as head of a meaningful faith has gone, then the case for the sovereign has changed too." Royal Wedding: Crowning Nonsense; The Guardian (London, UK); Apr 9, 2005.


floccinaucinihilipilification (FLOK-si-NO-si-NY-HIL-i-PIL-i-fi-KAY-shuhn) noun

Estimating something as worthless.

[From Latin flocci, from floccus (tuft of wool) + nauci, from naucum(a trifling thing) + nihili, from Latin nihil (nothing) + pili, from pilus(a hair, trifle) + -fication (making).]

This word was coined by combining four Latin terms flocci, nauci, nihili,pili, all meaning something of little or no value, which were listed inthe well-known "Eton Latin Grammar" of Eton College in the UK.

The Oxford English Dictionary shows the first use of the word by WilliamShetstone in 1777: "I loved him for nothing so much as hisflocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money."

The word seems to be popular in the US government. It has been heard fromthe mouths of White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry, Senator Robert Byrd,and Senator Jesse Helms among others. Maybe that tells us something aboutthe US Congress's interest in the floccinaucinihilipilification of taxpayers'money.-Anu Garg (gargATwordsmith.org)

"A number of you have phoned me saying that the BBC has plumbed the depths of nationalist floccinaucinihilipilification by simply making up the daftest imaginable Scottish name for the chairman of the Gigha community land steering commission - they haven't. I've checked. He really is called Willie MacSporran." Giles Coren; Willie MacSporran; The Times (London, UK); Oct 31, 2001.

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