[Ads-l] Antedating of a Very Long Word

[Shapiro, Fred]

antidisestablishmentarianism (OED 1900)

1891 Aberdeen Evening Express 8 Dec. 2 (British Newspaper Archive)

For the time being, Unionism and anti-Disestablishmentarianism go hand in hand.

NOTE:  This word's role in life has been almost exclusively as a claimant for the title of longest word in the English language.  However, the 1891 citation suggests that the word's existence began as a non-stunt coinage.

Fred Shapiro

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