The longest word in the English language is the chemical formula of titin, the largest known protein. Since it is 189,819 letters long, it is too big to be posted here, but it can be seen at http://www.sarahmcculloch.com/luminaryuprise/longest-word.html. It is not considered a “word” in most dictionaries, because most chemical formulas are not accepted as words.  

The Real Longest Word 

   The longest word found in the Oxford English dictionary is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. The definition of this 45 letter word is: a lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust. Although this tricky word is not spoken in your everyday conversation, it has appeared in several spelling bees (try spelling that)! 

These are hard times for America. For those of us across the Atlantic, any news coming out from that continent will always elicit positive or negative expectations. Over here we really do care about the happenings in that God’s own country. Paramount reason being that what affects them can damn too quickly spill over to my corner of the world. Who does not know that this great country holds the hope and light for millions of people in all corners of the globe. If all Americans knew these facts, that a large chunk of the world hold them in high esteem, people in Fox News TV would not be as racist as they usually appear in their television programmes.

     I  have always been fascinated by news about Sarah Palin. I never used to bother my head with the meaning of the word iva, until

some one used it to describe Mrs. S  Palin when she was campaigning for US presidency.  She certainly is one and I have nothing but respect for her. She has now added another lipstick to the hockey mom. Refudiate does not exist in any language. The word only made sense   to Sara not even after she managed to overwrite it with refute, a good English word which did not stiil help Sarah to effectively convey her toughts to the muslims. I am quite sure if Oboma commited such misapplication of language Palin would have called out all white Americans for a grand Coffee party.

     See what she has gotten for this?  Her refudiation has earned number one slot in the honor roll of Global Language project. Hers is on top of  Spillcam and Vuvuzela , that South African trumpet.  Our diva is associated with the gift of fiery speeches not only on the turf of tea parties, she had a stint at miss America shows, she is currently involved in a reality show. The new American Oxford dictory would increase its sales a billion times if it coins  a word from the name of Sarah Palin.   The name has been instrumental to the moon slide victory of the GOP? It certainly woulld be a landlide for Oxford Dictionary.

   The new word is Palinate, coined from Palin, one time governor of Alaska, US presidential aspirant , power behind the Tea Party. Palination is derived from palinate and palinating is also derived from the same root. The owners of the Global Language Project can now distribute the three words into verb, adjective or pronoun as they deem fit. Is their job not to take nonsense from the mouth of celebrities and mint them for the innocent ones to start learning? This palinating is different from making fences with pointed wood. That one is paling.

   Palinate means to deliver fiery speeches steeped in racism. Palination means the act of dishing out hateful speeches. Palinating means speaking like Sarah Palin. 

In this article I want to do three things:

1. Ask the question, ‘Is correct spelling of our words important?’
2. Bring your attention to some words that seem to poke fun at our otherwise very serious dictionaries.
3. Share some words that I’ve made up to keep abreast with the evolving events of our modern lives.

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Is correct spelling of our words important

With the age of short-hand words in general use (words like ‘asap,’ ‘natch.’ ‘pos,’ ‘info,’   ETA, fab and gorge, urgently spring to mind), spelling seems to be the last thing on our brains.  Is spelling really important though? Take a look at the following paragraph found on the Cambridge University’s website.

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in
waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht
the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae
the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a
wlohe.

My opinion is that, the only reason you could read this without a problem is because you know the correct spelling to begin with.  In my opinion, learning correct spelling is important, for it’s only then, that you can know what the incorrect version looks like.

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Funny words in serious dictionaries (have you seen these before?)

In light of the progressive situations creating the need for additional words, here are a few that you would find in newer dictionaries today. Have you used these before and can you spell them?

Pejorist – one who thinks the world is getting worse.

Scrimshanker – one who accepts neither responsibility nor work.

Jiggery-pokery – deceitful or dishonest manipulation.

Spelunking - the hobby or practice of exploring caves.

Ischial callosities  - refers to the leather-like pads on a monkey’s bum.

Natiform – buttock-shaped.

Humongous – a combination of enormous and huge (so it’s now actually a real word).

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Some words I’ve made up

I appreciate that there are things we need to express, for which we still do not have words.  Here are a few which I’ve worked out that would be perfect for the situations in which we presently find ourselves.

If someone else can make up words  like WAGS (wives and girlfriends – of football players) wannabes, metrosexual, blogging, and digging, I felt at liberty pen these.

Netmating   (net – mating) making friends on a social networking site.

Wally market – trading comments with your netmates so that he/she will comment on your work.

Obamarite – a person who reads, follows and backs Barak Obama.

Socianemania  (so-shi-a-ne-mania) – an addiction  to social networking sites.

Olly – a friend you know only online.

Cowelise (Cowell – as in Simon Cowell – ise) to criticize someone in the worse way possible, using only superlatives – the worst, the most out of tune, the fattest etc.

Petromania – to take part in discussions about the current petrol prices’ craze.

Celmaniac - a person who constantly opens and closes his/her mobile (cell) phone to check for messages.

Gadgehoar/Gadgerette (gadge-hor, gadger-ette:  a man or woman respectively) who makes it a practise to go out and grab the latest gadgets available – but hardly ever uses them.

I’m sure we’ve all got our own made up words, which we think should be included in the next print of the Oxford dictionary.  Who knows, they may even think them worthwhile to be included.

This word actually came from a Cantonese words “ko” or knock and “tou” or head. “Kotou” is a Chinese custom of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground to show great respect or to show obvious deference. During the British trading with the Chinese, somewhere around the 19th century, the word kowtow was usually referred to the act of being submissive, humble and respectful to someone in the local authority.

Chop

Originally, this word was from Cantonese word “kap” which means urgent or fast. The word chop-chop now is usually used (normally in British English) as an expression when you want someone to hurry, move quickly and without delay. In actual fact, the root word chop was also used in the word “chopsticks” to refer to the two thin sticks used as eating utensils in many Far Eastern countries.

Char

This word actually came from a Mandarin word “cha” or tea. Char is an old British word to refer to a cup of tea. The word “tea” in modern English was also questionably of Chinese origin. The Dutch, who was the lead importer of tea leaves through the Dutch East India Company during the early 17th century, used the word “thee” which was derived from the Chinese Amoy dialect “t”e’ or Indo-Malay “teh”.

Chow

This word actually came from a Cantonese word which originally meant stir fry cooking. Perhaps, influenced by the Chinese immigrants who came to the United States in the late 19th century, the word “chow” has become an American English slang word to refer to food or eat as in “chowing down the bread”. There are also other spin-off words using the root word “chow” in informal English such as chowtime and chowhound.

Ketchup

The word came from Indo-Malay word “kechap” which was derived from Chinese Amoy “ketsiap”, originally to refer to fish sauce condiments. Resulting from influences from Europe and America, ketchup now refers to tomato sauce.

Sampan

This word was a combination of two Cantonese words, “sam” or three and “baan” or board, which basically refers to a small, flat-bottomed boat, usually propelled by two short oars. The three boards probably refer to the three pieces of planks separating the sections in the boat. This type of boat is usually used in rivers and harbors in the Far East.

Feng shui

This word came from Mandarin words “feng” or wind and “shui” or water. This is actually an ancient Chinese art or method of designing buildings as well as arranging objects in living spaces to ensure positive energy so that it could bring luck, prosperity and happiness to the owner. The art of feng shui became quite popular in the American and European culture since 1990s.

Cumshaw

The word came from Chinese Amoi dialect “kam si” for feeling gratitude. The word is now used in informal English to refer to gratuity or present.

Yin Yang

This words were from Mandarin word “yin” or feminine and dark as well as the word “yang” or masculine and bright. It basically refers to the passive and active, principles in nature that in Chinese thought eternally interact and complement each other to achieve a perfect balance.

Chinese dishes – Chop suey, chow mein, dim sum, won ton, tofu

Chinese food has increasingly become popular in the US and Europe and I am pretty sure most of you are familiar with some of these Chinese dishes.

• Chop suey for instance, came from Cantonese “shap” or miscellaneous and “sui” or pieces, is actually a popular Chinese dish of shredded meat with vegetables, served with rice
• Chow mein which came from Cantonese word is a famous Chinese stir fried dish made with meat, vegetables and noodles
• “Dim sum” or little hearts are deliciously steamed or fried dumplings served in small portion
• Won ton which means “cloud swallow” in Cantonese is another type of dumplings which looks like little clouds
• Tofu came from Mandarin “doufu” for bean curd

Wok

This word came from Cantonese “wohk” or a round bottomed cooking pot with a long extension (for holding), often used for stir frying. This cooking utensil is often used in China and South East Asia. Nevertheless, wok is now a popular cooking utensil used in many parts of the world, especially for cooking stir fried Chinese dishes.

Gung-ho

This word was from a Mandarin word “gonghe” or a cooperative for industrial workers. Somehow, the word was used informally by the American army during the World War II as a motto which basically means “to work together”. It was even adopted as a war film title in 1943. The word now refers to eager or excessively enthusiastic individuals in ironic sense.

Honcho

The word came from Chinese words “han” or squad and “cho” or chief. During the World War II, British army used this word to refer to the leader of the squad. This word now refers to someone who is in charge of something, a manager or a leader.

Kao lin

This word refers to fine white clay used in making ceramics and medicines especially in treating diarrhea. This word came from the name of a mountain in Gaoling, China whereby such clay was first obtained and exported to Europe in 18th century.

Shanghai

This word was originally taken from the name of a place – Shanghai in China. It was said that this word evolved from the practice of American sea captains who tricked and kidnapped drunk sailors for compulsory service aboard their ships usually bound for China. Now, this word is a slang to refer to the act of inducing or compelling someone to do something by force or fraud.

1. Kleenex

   
   
   Kleenex [kli-neks] – noun: a paper tissue

   This is a trademark brand name for soft paper tissue, used as a handkerchief but it is also widely used as a generic name to refer to similar type of tissue paper.

2. Jeep

   

   Jeep [jip] - noun: a small, sturdy motor vehicle with four-wheel drive

   This is a trademark brand name for motor vehicle with four-wheel drive. However, it is used as a generic name to refer to similar type of vehicle. It is said that the word originated from the initials GP, for general purpose, influenced by “Eugene the Jeep”, a character in the Popeye comic strip.

3. Sellotape

   

   Sellotape [se-leu-tep] – noun and verb: transparent adhesive tape or the act of fastening or sticking with Sellotape

   Sellotape is a trade mark brand name for cellulose or plastic sticky tape. It is also used to refer to other similar adhesive tapes. “Sellotape” is an invented name from the combination of words, cellulose and tape.

4. Frisbee

   

   Frisbee [friz-bi] - noun: a plastic disc designed for skimming through the air as an outdoor game

   This is a trademark name for a light plastic disc, shaped like a plate, thrown between players in a game. It is said that the plastic disc is named after the pie tins of the Frisbee bakery in Connecticut, USA.

5. Yo-Yo

   

   Yo-yo [yo-yo] - noun and verb: a toy consisting of a pair of joined discs with a deep groove between them in which string is attached and wound, which can be spun alternately downward and upward by its weight and momentum as the string unwinds and rewinds; or the act of moving up and down repeatedly or fluctuating

   This is a trademark brand name for the toy in the UK. The brand name is also used as a generic name to refer to similar type of toys. It is believed that this word originated from the Philippines.

6. Vaseline

   

   Vaseline [vas-si-lin] - noun: a type of petroleum jelly used as an ointment or lubricant

   This is a trademark brand name of petroleum jelly. The word originated from the combination of German “wasser” for water and Greek “elaion” for oil.

7. Rollerblade

   

   

   Rollerblade [rol-ler-bleyd] - noun and verb: an in-line skate or the act of skating using Rollerblades

   This is a trademark brand name to refer to the type of in-line skate.

8. Jacuzzi

   

   Jacuzzi [je-koo-zi] - noun: a large bath incorporating jets of water to massage the body

   This is a trademark brand name to refer to such bath and it is said that this type of bath is named after the Italian-born American inventor, Candido Jacuzzi (1903-1986).

9. Land Rover

   

   Land Rover [len-ro-ver] - noun: a strong motor vehicle used for traveling over rough ground

   This is a trademark brand name to refer to similar type of motor vehicle used for the above said purpose.

10. Velcro

    

    Velcro [vel-kro] - noun: a fastener consisting of two strips of fabric which adhere when pressed together

    This is a trade mark brand name to refer to a type of fastener. The word is believed to be originated from the French “velours croche” which means hooked velvet.

11. Hula Hoop

    

    Hula hoop [hu-la-hup] - noun: a large hoop spun round the body by gyrating the hips

    This is a trademark brand name of the hoop. The word is widely used to refer to similar type of hoops spun round the body.

12. Skidoo

    

    Skidoo [ski-du] - noun and verb: a motorized toboggan or the act of riding on a skidoo, chiefly North America

    This is a trademark brand name which is generally used to refer to any long light narrow sledge, used for sliding downhill on snow.

13. Allen key

    
    
    Allen key [el-len-ki] – noun: a spanner designed to fit into and turn an Allen screw

    This is also a trademark brand name to refer to this similar type of spanner.

14. Walkman

    

    Walkman [wok-men] – noun: a type of personal stereo

    This is a trademark brand name introduced by Sony to refer to personal stereo or cassette player. However, the name has been a generic word to refer to other similar type of personal stereo.

15. Strimmer

    

    Strimmer [strim-mer] – noun: an electrically powered grass trimmer with a cutting cord which rotates on a spindle

    This is a trademark brand name that is generally used to refer to similar type of grass trimmer.

16. Plasticine

    

    Plasticine [plas-te-sin] - noun: a soft modeling material

    This is a trademark brand name (in the UK), of a substance similar to clay but does not harden like clay, used for modeling, especially by children. However, this word is used as a generic name referring to similar type of substance.

17. Lego

    

    Lego [le-go] - noun: a toy consisting of interlocking plastic building blocks

    This is trademark brand name but is widely used to refer to similar type of toy consisting interlocking building blocks.

18. Loafer

    

    Loafer [lo-fer] - noun: a leather shoe shaped like a moccasin, with a flat heel

    This is a trademark brand name for shoes. Nevertheless this word is also used to refer to any type of flat shoe similar to moccasin, usually for casual wear.

19. Pyrex

    

    Pyrex [pai-reks] - noun: a hard heat-resistant type of glass

    This is a trademark brand name and also a generic name of a similar heat-resistant glass used especially for cooking and serving food.

20. Yellow Pages

    

    Yellow Pages [yel-lo-pae-jes] - noun: a telephone directory printed on yellow paper and listing businesses and other organizations according to the goods or services they offer

    This is a trademark in the UK for such telephone directory, named after the yellow-colored paper to differentiate it with the normal phone directory.

21. Laundromat

    

    Laundromat [lon-dro-met] - noun: a launderette

    This is a well-known trademark in the USA to refer to any launderette.

22. Filofax

    

    Filofax [fai-lo-feks] - noun: a loose-leaf notebook for recording appointments, addresses and notes

    This is a trademark brand name which is believed to be originated from a colloquial pronunciation of “file of facts.”

23. Dictaphone

    

    Dictaphone [dik-ta-fon] - noun: small cassette recorder used to record speech

    Dictaphone is a trademark brand name to refer to the machine that records speech, and plays it back so that people especially a secretary can type it out. It is also generally used to refer to similar speech recorder.

24. Teflon

    

    Teflon [tef-lon] – noun: a tough synthetic resin used to make seals and bearings and to coat non-stick utensils. Usually this word is also used before another noun especially of a politician having an undamaged reputation in spite of scandal or misjudgment

    This is a trademark brand name which refers to non-stick utensils.

25. Styrofoam

    

    Styrofoam [stai-ro-fom] - noun: a kind of expanded polystyrene, used especially for making food containers

    This is a trademark brand name in the USA and it has become a generic name used generally to refer to any food containers made of polystyrene material.

• hoo·ver [hoo-ver]
  –verb: to clean with a vacuum cleaner (Chiefly British)

It is in fact a trademark brand name of a vacuum cleaner. This brand was named after the American industrialist, William H. Hoover (1849-1942) who commercialized vacuum cleaners as one of the “must-have” household items.

Xerox

• xe·rox [zeer-oks]
  -noun or verb: a name for a copying machine or the act of reproducing printed, written, or pictorial matter by xerography.

This is a trademark brand name for a copy machine. “Xerox” is an invented name from the word xerography which came from the Greek radicals xeros (dry) and graphos (writing), as there are no liquid chemicals involved in the copying process.

Thermos

• ther·mos [thur-muhs]
  –noun: a vacuum bottle or similar container lined with an insulating material, such as polystyrene, to keep liquid hot or cold

This is a trademark brand name of a vacuum flask. The word is actually derived from the Greek word thermo or “hot”.

Prozac

• pro·zac [proh-zak] -noun: a brand of fluoxetine hydrochloride

This is a trademark brand name for a type of drug prescribed for depression. However, it is often widely used to refer to other drugs that treat similar cases of depression.

Spandex

• span·dex [span-deks]
  –noun: a synthetic fiber composed of a long-chain polymer, used chiefly in the manufacture of garments to add elasticity

This is a trademark of a type of polyurethane fabric. However, it is also widely used to refer to other stretchy fabric material.

Jello

• jell-O [jel-oh]
  -noun: brand of dessert made from a mixture of gelatin, sugar, and fruit flavoring, dissolved in hot water and chilled until firm

This is an American trademark brand name, i.e. Jell-O. It is also used to refer to other similar types of jelly desserts.

Tampax

• tampax [tam-pax]
  -noun: tampon used to absorb menstrual flow

This is a trademark brand name for a tampon but it is also widely used as a generic name to refer to similar types of sanitary tampons.

Band-Aid

• band-Aid [band-eyd]
  -noun: adhesive bandage with a gauze pad in the center, used to cover minor abrasions and cuts

This is a trademark brand name, widely used to refer to other similar types of bandages.

Viagra

• vi·ag·ra [vahy-ag-ruh]
  -noun: sildenafil citrate, used to treat impotence

This is a trademark brand name, widely used to refer to other similar types of male potency drugs. It is also said that the name comes from the word virility and Niagara.