Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

sima   Sunday, October 12, 2003, 23:49 GMT
A.S.C.M.
That's not so bad if /Anticonstitutionellement/ was the longest French word. After all, Languages are not judged after their longest or shortest words. And what's more, the languages are not judged at all.
bonne chance
A.S.C.M.   Monday, October 13, 2003, 05:57 GMT
Well, I don't judge a language by the length of its words. I just think "anticonstitutionellement" and "acide désoxyribonucléique" are quite pathetic, especially after reading in The Economist a two-line-long German word that is the name of a law intended to increase efficiency (see the irony?). And no, I didn't intend any anti-Frenchism.
For what it's worth   Monday, October 13, 2003, 07:15 GMT
The longest word in the English language is the full name of the tryptophan synthetase A protein, an enzyme with 267 amino acids. It has 1,913 letters:

methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylalanylalanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylglycylalanylphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylvalylthreonylleucylglycylaspartylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleucylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspartylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylserylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonylisoleucylglutaminylaspfraginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylphenylalanylalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcysteinylphenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylarginylglutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylglycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalylphenylalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalanyltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylvalylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylglutaminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutaminylalanylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanylprolylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanylaspartylaspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylserylarginylalanylglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparaginylarginylalanylalanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidylleucylvalylalanyllysylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalanylprolylprolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylserylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanylglycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanylisoleucylvalyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistidylasparaginylisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionylleucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylprolylmethionyllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine
longest word   Monday, October 13, 2003, 07:28 GMT
For what it's worth
Sorry, but it doesn't look like a word.
longest word   Monday, October 13, 2003, 07:32 GMT
and even if it was a genuine word, who would be able to pronounce it ? I can't imagine in a lab. two biologists telling each other : "by the way, have you analized this anzim, bla, bla, bla....."
A.S.C.M.   Monday, October 13, 2003, 21:42 GMT
There are many proteins longer than that. By manipulating DNA, you can make proteins of unlimited length with names of unlimited length. It's always some lengthy strain of the names of the same twenty amino acids, though.