Antidisestablishmentarianism

Antidisestablishmentarianism is a political philosophy that is opposed to the separation of church and state. The term originated in the context of the nineteenth century Church of England; antidisestablismentarians were opposed to proposals to remove its status as the state church of England. The term has largely fallen into disuse, although the issue itself is still current; witness recent disputes in the UK over the Act of Settlement.

It can be broken down as follows:
~ism ....................... the philosophy of
~arian~ ................. those people who believe in
~anti~ .................... opposition to
~dis~ ...................... the removal of
~establishment~ .. the Church of England as the official state church

Antidisestablishmentarianism is often quoted as the longest English word that has an actual meaning, is not a proper noun or scientific term and was not made up on the spot to form a "longest word."

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