Everett Smith is a puzzler who, in 1935 may have coined the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, also spelled pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis as a hypothetical long word that could result from the protraction of medical terms. It is defined as "a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica or quartz dust." The actual name of the disease is pneumoconiosis.
At 45 letters, it is certainly the longest word ever to appear in a non-technical dictionary of English (Source: Oxford English Dictionary).
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| Name | Smith, Everett |
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Famous quotes containing the word smith:
“We need two kinds of acquaintances, one to complain to, while to the others we boast.”
—Logan Pearsall Smith (1865–1946)