Hippopotomonstroses- quipedaliophobia

This word is, without a doubt, the most ridiculous word in the English language. Seriously! When you find out what hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia means, you will crack up laughing and probably roll on the floor. 

You see, hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia means a fear of something. -phobia is a suffix that always indicates an irrational fear of whatever word comes before it. Acrophobia, for instance, means a fear of heights (as in acrobat).

So what is  hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia?  An unnatural fear of hippopotomuses* or hippopotomi*? A dreadful anxiety over monsters? A fitful restlessness about equipment or flowers? Ha! You aren't even close!

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is . . . wait for it . . . this is where the ridiculous part comes to light . . . a panic over long words. The craziness of this is that the word itself is 35 letters long. It is a LONG word. So those who are afflicted with this phobia can't even tell you what they are afflicted with because of their affliction of being afflicted with the affliction of long words. 

Does this make any sense whatsoever to you? Me, neither! Whose insane idea was this? 

Anyway, I hope that none of you suffer from the terrible fear of long words, or, that big long word that means fear of long words, hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. 


*hippopotomuses is the common plural of hippopotamus. Though it is of Latin origins, and those who are fussy about keeping true to the language would say hippopotomi, most use the much easier plural of hippopotomuses. 

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Thank you, Bryant Oden, for this brilliant
rendition about the Warrior Word of the Week!