this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2025
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What is the longest word in your language, and what does it mean in English? (feddit.uk)
submitted 4 days ago by Diddlydee@feddit.uk to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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I love the German word ver­bes­se­rungs­be­dürf­tig, meaning in need of improvement. I'm not German, but thought this was a cracking word.

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[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 30 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Theoretically you can make infinitely long words in German.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 39 points 4 days ago

Anglophonenwortkompositafaszinationsbelustigungsbauchschmerzmittelrezeptdruckerhersteller. Manufacturer of printers for prescriptions for painkillers for belly pain caused by amusement at anglophones' fascination with word compounds.

[–] espentan@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Same in Norwegian.

Looks like this one is a popular candidate for the longest official word:

Minoritetsladningsbærerdiffusjonskoeffisientmålingsapparatur.

It's an instrument for measuring the distance between particles in crystalline materials.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 10 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Yeah, Wikipedia tells me the longest word that was actually in use is Grundstücks­verkehrs­genehmigungs­zuständigkeitsübertragungs­verordnung. It was a decree from 2003 until 2007.

Basically:

  • "Grundstück" is a plot of land.
  • "Verkehr" is ~~traffic~~ "trade" in this context.
  • "Genehmigung" is approval.
  • "Zuständigkeit" is responsibility.
  • "Übertragung" is transfer.
  • "Verordnung" is decree.

So, it decreed that the responsibility of approving ~~traffic on~~ trade of private plots of land should be transferred (to a different government body).

[–] elvith@feddit.org 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

While technically correct, the word Verkehr here does not translate to traffic, but rather belongs to the compound Verkehrsgenehmigung which is roughly a trade permit for selling a plot of land or using it as a collateral on a loan.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Damn, seems you're right. For folks reading along: That's not how that word usually works in German, but I guess, it is how it works in German legalese...

[–] elvith@feddit.org 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

German legalese has Verkehr as a reference to in Verkehr bringen which means put something on the market / put something on circulation.

But it's hard to recognize /learn because

  1. Verkehr almost(?) always means traffic outside of legalese and
  2. There are also traffic laws, that also use Verkehr but really mean traffic