Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

English has always been called a difficult and a crazy language to learn. Specially the formation of words and their pronunciation has been bewildering students and people since ages. However, have you recently come across this extra-long word? You can bet that 'this is crazy' will be the universal reaction of people reading it.

What is Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
Just a simple glance at this word and you would guess that this can be the longest word in English language. Well, this 45 letter word may be quite long, but it ranks third in the list of the longest words in English language (the first and the second consisting of 189,819 and 183 letters respectively). However, it was coined with the intention of forming the longest word in English language. Although it may not be the longest word in the world, but, it is the longest word to appear in the English dictionary. This word was created by Everett M. Smith, the President of National Puzzlers' League in 1935.

Meaning
The exact dictionary meaning of this word is a type of respiratory lung disease caused due to silica. However, some people believe that this is a hoax or a pseudo word created simply with the intention of creating one of the longest word in English language. On the contrary, others believe that the word exists and also has a complete agreeable meaning. Greek and Latin words are used simultaneously to coin this word. To understand the meaning of this word, it is split into 8 smaller words having separate meanings. They include:
Pneumono - lung (Greek)
Ultra - beyond (Latin)
Micro - small (Greek)
Scopic - looking (Greek)
Silico - sand like (Latin)
Volcano - volcano (Latin)
Konis - dust (Greek)
Osis - disease (Greek)

Pronunciation
Take a look at the pronunciation given below which will help you in understanding it. Splitting the word in the above mentioned fashion can help in easier pronunciation.

NYOO-muh-noh-ul-truh-my-kruh-skop-ik-SIL-i-koh-vol-kay-noh-koh-nee-OH-siss

Disease
The exact dictionary meaning of this word is a disease caused due to increased exposure to ultra microscopic silica dust. It is similar to silicosis and can be used interchangeably. It is caused by inhaling siliceous volcanic dust. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis disease is said to be a form of pneumoconiosis which is a respiratory disease caused by inhaling metallic particles. This lung disease can be differentiated into four types: asymptomatic, accelerated, acute and chronic. Symptoms include severe cough, chest pain, sore throat, loss of appetite and increased breathing rate. This can become chronic when a person is exposed to siliceous volcanic dust for more than 10 years, and can also make a person more susceptible to tuberculosis. Fortunately, there are treatment methods available for treating this condition, which consist of avoiding silica dust and taking antibiotics.

Whether this word should be used professionally or not is a controversial issue. However, for time being, you can definitely use this word in a Spell Bee or a Spellathon with your friends the next time they are at your place.