The longest word in greek

The Greek language has been spoken uninterruptedly from ancient times until today (with obvious changes over the years), which has led to the existence of thousands of words.

The wealth of the Greek language is very great and well known. However, what has not yet been recorded is the longest word in the number of characters.

The word found in «Ekklesiazouses» by Aristophanes (verses 1169-1175) will be difficult even for the greatest enthusiast of the ancient Greek language and reads as follows:

Lopado­temacho­selacho­galeo­kranio­leipsano­drim­hypo­trimmato­silphio­karabo­melito­katakechy­meno­kichl­epi­kossypho­phatto­perister­alektryon­opte­kephallio­kigklo­peleio­lagoio­siraio­baphe­tragano­pterygon

It is a transliteration of the Ancient Greek word:

“λοπαδο­τεμαχο­σελαχο­γαλεο­κρανιο­λειψανο­δριμ­υπο­τριμματο­σιλφιο­καραβο­μελιτο­κατακεχυ­μενο­κιχλ­επι­κοσσυφο­φαττο­περιστερ­αλεκτρυον­οπτο­κεφαλλιο­κιγκλο­πελειο­λαγῳο­σιραιο­βαφη­τραγανο­πτερύγων”

λοπάς (dish, meal)

τέμαχος (fish slice)

σέλαχος (shark, ray)

γαλεός (tope, dogfish, small shark)

κρανίον (head)

λείψανον (remnant»)

δριμύς (sharp, pungent»)

ὑπότριμμα (gen. sharp-tasting dish of several ingredients grated & pounded together)

σίλφιον (laserwort)

κάραβος (crab, beetle, or crayfish)

μέλι (honey)

κατακεχυμένος (poured down)

κίχλη (wrasse, thrush)

ἐπί (upon, on top of)

κόσσυφος (a kind of sea-fish or blackbird)

φάττα (wood pigeon)

περιστερός (domestic pigeon)

ἀλεκτρυών (chicken)

ὀπτός (roasted, baked)

κεφάλιον (diminutive of «head»)

κίγκλος (dabchick)

πέλεια (pigeon)

λαγῷος (hare)

σίραιον (new wine boiled down)

βαφή (dipping)

τραγανός (crunchy)

 πτέρυξ (wing, fin)

The word of Aristophanes appears only once in all Greek literature and consists of 78 syllables, 172 letters and 27 synthetics, while its metaphor in Latin consists of 182, and for centuries it was one of the biggest known words in literature according to the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records.

Longest word in the world (spoken in ancient greek pronunciation)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lopado­temacho­selacho­galeo­kranio­leipsano­drim­hypo­trimmato­silphio­karabo­melito­katakechy­meno­kichl­epi­kossypho­phatto­perister­alektryon­opte­kephallio­kigklo­peleio­lagoio­siraio­baphe­tragano­pterygon is a fictional dish originating from Aristophanes’ 391 B.C. comedy Assemblywomen,^[1] deriving from a transliteration of the Ancient Greek word λοπαδο­τεμαχο­σελαχο­γαλεο­κρανιο­λειψανο­δριμ­υπο­τριμματο­σιλφιο­καραβο­μελιτο­κατακεχυ­μενο­κιχλ­επι­κοσσυφο­φαττο­περιστερ­αλεκτρυον­οπτο­κεφαλλιο­κιγκλο­πελειο­λαγῳο­σιραιο­βαφη­τραγανο­πτερύγων. In A Greek–English Lexicon, it is defined as a «name of a dish compounded of all kinds of dainties, fish, flesh, fowl, and sauces».^[2]

It is the longest Greek word, containing 171 letters and 78 syllables. The transliteration has 183 Latin characters and is the longest word ever to appear in literature, according to the Guinness World Records (1990).^[3]

Variant forms[edit]

The form of the word quoted here is the version listed in the Liddell & Scott Greek lexicon (1940) and quoted therein as being amended by August Meineke,^[2] contrasting F.W. Hall and W.M. Geldart’s 1907 edition of Aristophanis Comoediae (used in the Assemblywomen play) variant of (differences in bold):
λοπαδο­τεμαχο­σελαχο­γαλεο­κρανιο­λειψανο­δριμ­υποτριμματο­σιλφιο­τυρο­μελιτο­κατακεχυμενο­κιχλεπικοσσυφο­φαττο­περιστερ­αλεκτρυον­οπτεκεφαλλιο­κιγκλο­πελειο­λαγῳο­σιραιο­βαφη­τραγανο­πτερυγών.^[4]

Description[edit]

The dish was a fricassée, with at least 16 sweet and sour ingredients, including the following:^[3]

• Fish slices
• Fish of the elasmobranchii subclass (a shark or ray)
• Rotted dogfish or small shark’s head
• A generally sharp-tasting dish of several ingredients grated and pounded together
• Silphion, possibly a kind of giant fennel, now believed extinct
• A kind of crab, shrimp, or crayfish
• Honey poured down
• Wrasse (or thrush)
• A kind of sea fish or blackbird as topping
• Wood pigeon
• Domestic pigeon
• Rooster
• The roasted head of dabchick
• Hare, which could be a kind of bird or a kind of sea hare
• New wine boiled down
• Wing and/or fin

Context[edit]

The term is used in the ultimate chorus of the play, when Blepyrus (and the audience) are summoned to the first feast laid on by the new system.

[1167] And you others, let your light steps too keep time.
[1168] Very soon we’ll be eating
[1170] lopado­temacho­selacho­galeo­kranio­leipsano­drim­ypo­trimmato­silphio­karabo­melito­katakechy­meno­kichl­epi­kossypho­phatto­perister­alektryon­opte­kephalio­kigklo­peleio­lagoio­siraio­baphe­tragano­pterygon. [sic]
[1175] Come, quickly, seize hold of a plate, snatch up a cup, and let’s run to secure a place at table. The rest will have their jaws at work by this time.

— translation ed. Eugene O’Neill, 1938^[1]

English translations[edit]

In English prose translation by Leo Strauss (1966), this Greek word is rendered as «oysters-saltfish-skate-sharks’-heads-left-over-vinegar-dressing-laserpitium-leek-with-honey-sauce-thrush-blackbird-pigeon-dove-roast-cock’s-brains-wagtail-cushat-hare-stewed-in-new-wine-gristle-of-veal-pullet’s-wings».^[5]

English verse translation by Benjamin Bickley Rogers (1902) follows the original meter and the original form of composition:

Plattero-filleto-mulleto-turboto-
-Cranio-morselo-pickleo-acido-
-Silphio-honeyo-pouredonthe-topothe-
-Ouzelo-throstleo-cushato-culvero-
-Cutleto-roastingo-marowo-dippero-
-Leveret-syrupu-gibleto-wings.^[6]

An older English verse translation by Rev. Rowland Smith (1833) breaks the original word into several verses:

Limpets, oysters, salt fish,
And a skate too a dish,
Lampreys, with the remains
Of sharp sauce and birds’ brains,
With honey so luscious,
Plump blackbirds and thrushes,
Cocks’ combs and ring doves,
Which each epicure loves,
Also wood-pigeons blue,
With juicy snipes too,
And to close all, O rare!
The wings of jugged hare!^[7]

See also[edit]

• Longest word in English

References[edit]

We Greeks are known for very long names, smashing world records, and inventing all manner of stuff first, but not even that could prepare anyone for the world’s longest word which is the creation of one of our ancestors:  Aristophanes.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the name of a fictional dish created by Aristophanes in his comedy Assembly women (Eκκλησιαζουσες). 

It consists of with 175 letters and 78 syllables whilst the transliteration has 183 Latin characters.

The word:

Lopado­temacho­selacho­galeo­kranio­leipsano­drim­hypo­trimmato­silphio­karabo­melito­katakechy­meno­kichl­epi­kossypho­phatto­perister­alektryon­opte­kephallio­kigklo­peleio­lagoio­siraio­baphe­tragano­pterygon

Or in Greek:
λοπαδο­τεμαχο­σελαχο­γαλεο­κρανιο­λειψανο­δριμ­υπο­τριμματο­σιλφιο­καραβο­μελιτο­κατακεχυ­μενο­κιχλ­επι­κοσσυφο­φαττο­περιστερ­αλεκτρυον­οπτο­κεφαλλιο­κιγκλο­πελειο­λαγῳο­σιραιο­βαφη­τραγανο­πτερύγων.

According to Wikipedia in one dictionary, it is defined as a «name of a dish compounded of all kinds of dainties, fish, flesh, fowl, and sauces».

The dish was a fricassée, with at least 16 sweet and sour ingredients, including the following:

Fish slices
Fish of the elasmobranchii subclass (a shark or ray)
Rotted dogfish or small shark’s head
A generally sharp-tasting dish of several ingredients grated and pounded together
Silphion, possibly a kind of giant fennel, now believed extinct
A kind of crab, shrimp, or crayfish
Honey poured down
Wrasse (or thrush)
A kind of sea fish or blackbird as topping
Wood pigeon
Domestic pigeon
Rooster
The roasted head of dabchick
Hare, which could be a kind of bird or a kind of sea hare
New wine boiled down
Wing and/or fin

392 BC) Aristophanes coined the 173-letter word Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleio-lagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon, a fictional food dish consisting of a combination of fish and other meat.

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