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The Longest Word in the Dictionary Lyrics by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor

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Hi! Welcome to Ask the Editor. I'm Kory Stamper, an Associate Editor at Merriam-Webster.
What's the longest word in the dictionary? If you said "antidisestablishmentarianism," you're wrong. The longest word in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is currently "electroencephalographically," which means "by using electroencephalography to examine a patient," as in: "Have you examined the patient electroencephalographically?"
And "antidisestablishmentarianism" isn't entered into any of our dictionaries. Yes, I know, we enter "electroencephalographically," and we don't enter "antidisestablishmentarianism"? What kind of lexicographers are we? We are the kind that like to enter words with meanings. There are three criteria all words must meet in order to be entered into the dictionary: widespread usage, sustained usage, and meaningful usage, that is, evidence that the word is used to refer to something.
Where "antidisestablishmentarianism" gets disqualified first is the meaningful usage criterion. Go ahead, what does "antidisestablishmentarianism" mean? It's an example of a long word, but that's not its meaning. A word with meaning contributes essential information to a clause or sentence. When "antidisestablishmentarianism" is used as an example of a long word, it doesn't actually have a meaning at all.
But can't we construct a meaning for it? Sure. Based on its component parts, "antidisestablishmentarianism" would mean something like "opposition to depriving a legally established state church of its status." Our problem is that we have scant evidence of it used with that meaning. In our files, which go back over 100 years, we only have three citations for "antidisestablishmentarianism" used with something like that meaning. Three citations isn't sustained or widespread use.
You could make a case that we should enter "antidisestablishmentarianism" simply because it's a well-known word. With more widespread, sustained, and meaningful use, we will—and then it will be the longest word in our Collegiate Dictionary ... unless we enter "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."
You'll find more episodes of Ask the Editor at merriam-webster.com.
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Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster

About “The Longest Word in the Dictionary” by Merriam-Webster

Read the complete lyrics to "The Longest Word in the Dictionary" by Merriam-Webster from the album "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"The Longest Word in the Dictionary" is performed by Merriam-Webster. from the album "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Longest Word in the Dictionary", explore more songs by Merriam-Webster using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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