Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz. (Discuss) |
The Dpoennaiusdampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft (en: the association for subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services) was a sub organisation in pre-war Vienna, Austria of the Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft (DDSG), a shipping company for transporting passengers and cargo on the Danube. The DDSG still exists today in the form of the now private companies DDSG-Blue Danube Schiffahrt GmbH (passenger transport) and the DDSG-Cargo GmbH.
The name is an example of the virtually unlimited compounding of nouns that is possible in the Germanic languages; with 79 letters, according to the 1996 Guinness Book of World Records, it is the longest word published in the German language.
Extraordinarily long words are used sparsely in German conversation, however more often than for example in English language. Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän had been a correct addressing of a captain of one of these pre World War I steamboat ships on the Danube. According to the 1995 Guinness Book of World Records, the longest German word in everyday usage is Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften (insurance companies which provide legal protection), counting 39 characters.
Since the German spelling reform of 1996, "Schiffahrt" is written with three "f"s, so the correct modern spelling in affected countries would use 80 letters, Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft.
See also
- Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft
- Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz
- Longest word in English