The longest known word in the English Language is the 45-letter word Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, a lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica or quartz dust.
- At a mere 28 letters is the seasoned “stand-by” example of a long word, antidisestablishmentarianism that has something to do with a church receiving funds from the government.
One relative latecomer to the lengthy word list was brought to us by an umbrella-toting English nanny named Poppins. That was, of course, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with 34 letters; No one knows what it means but that doesn’t seem to matter. The inconvenience of using long words is obvious so there are tricks used by everyone from English teachers to medical dentists to make it easier. The first example becomes P45 reducing the keystrokes for the lung disease to three. Another well-known trick for reducing long terms is the use of acronyms. One industry where this is extremely prevalent is the heating, ventilation, air conditioner, and refrigeration industry. The term Heating plus Air Conditioning/R or just Heating plus Air Conditioning has become a word in itself. The Heating plus Air Conditioning industry has become so “acronym crazy” as to be a bit confusing to the average lady. BTU for British Thermal Unit has been around well before A/C was invented. Newer acronyms include SEER for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and HSPF for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. There are other abbreviations only trained Heating plus Air Conditioning professionals will use. One example is TXV for the Thermostatic Expansion Valve. Another is UFAD for Under Floor Air Distribution. One acronym that will make any Heating plus Air Conditioning professional frown is when you mentioned that you attempted a DIY (Do it Yourself) repair. They will not be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious about you causing more injure for them to repair.