Antidisestablishmentarianism (listen to , ) is a political position that originated in
nineteenth-centuryThe 19th century was a period in history marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Ottoman, Holy Roman and Mughal empires...
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
in opposition to proposals for the disestablishment of the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
, that is, to remove the Anglican Church's status as the
state churchA state religion is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. Practically, a state without a state religion is called a secular state. The term state church is associated with Christianity, and is sometimes used to denote a specific national branch of Christianity...
of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
.
In Ireland (then part of the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and where the majority of the population were Roman Catholic) the (Anglican)
Church of IrelandThe Church of Ireland is a Christian church, an autonomous province of the Episcopal/Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland, and the largest non-Roman Catholic religious body on the island...
was disestablished in 1871.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Antidisestablishmentarianism' Start a new discussion about 'Antidisestablishmentarianism' Answer questions from other users |
Antidisestablishmentarianism (listen to , ) is a political position that originated in
nineteenth-centuryThe 19th century was a period in history marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Ottoman, Holy Roman and Mughal empires...
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
in opposition to proposals for the disestablishment of the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
, that is, to remove the Anglican Church's status as the
state churchA state religion is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. Practically, a state without a state religion is called a secular state. The term state church is associated with Christianity, and is sometimes used to denote a specific national branch of Christianity...
of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
.
In Ireland (then part of the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and where the majority of the population were Roman Catholic) the (Anglican)
Church of IrelandThe Church of Ireland is a Christian church, an autonomous province of the Episcopal/Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland, and the largest non-Roman Catholic religious body on the island...
was disestablished in 1871. In Wales, four Church of England dioceses were disestablished in 1920, subsequently becoming the
Church in WalesThe Church in Wales is a member Church of the Anglican Communion, consisting of six dioceses in Wales. Like many Anglican churches, it recognizes the primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who does not however have any formal authority in Wales The Church in Wales is a member Church of the...
.
The term has largely fallen into disuse. The question of disestablishment of the Church of England is still current, often tied with the position of the English
monarchA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy, a form of government in which the country or entity usually ruled or controlled by an individual who usually rules for life or until abdication...
as "Supreme Governor" of the Church (see
Act of Settlement 1701The Act of Settlement is an act of the Parliament of England, originally filed in 1700, and passed in 1701, to settle the succession to the English throne on the Electress Sophia of Hanover—a granddaughter of James I—and her Protestant heirs...
), but there is no popular demand for disestablishment.
Word length
The word itself is often referenced in English-speaking popular culture due to its unusual length of 28 letters and 12 syllables. It is commonly believed to be the
second longest word in EnglishThe identity of the longest word in English depends upon the definition of what constitutes a word in the English language, as well as how length should be compared...
, excluding coined and technical terms not found in major dictionaries. It is usually included in
spelling beeA spelling bee is a competition where contestants, usually children, are asked to spell English words. The concept is thought to have originated in the United States, and is usually perceived to be a solely English language practice....
s and to interest students in spelling.
In media
- The word is uttered by Edmund Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder is the single name given to a collection of fictional characters who appear in the BBC mock-historical comedy series Blackadder, each played by Rowan Atkinson. Although each series is set within a different period of British history, each character is part of the same familial...
in the "Dish and Dishonesty" episode of Blackadder the ThirdBlackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987....
. Blackadder says, "I'll be back before you can say 'Antidisestablishmentarianism'" to the Prince Regent. Consequently, the Prince struggles to say the word. He only thinks he has got it right after two days, before saying, "...Okay! Antidistinctlyminty...". As he is in the middle of saying it, Blackadder returns.
- This word is used in a Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007 on Disney Channel, the series follows two suburban stepbrothers on summer vacation...
episode. When Perry's boss is caught by Phineas and Ferb's father communicating through the television, to mask himself he says he is running a telethon to find a cure for "Antidisestablishmentarianism." The father relates this to the mother who is passing by, and she replies by saying, "Thank goodness! I can finally take off this puce ribbon."
- The word was used in a Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen, often abbreviated to DQ, is a international chain of soft serve and fast food restaurants. The name is taken from the name of their soft serve product which the company refers to as "Dairy Queen" or "DQ".-History:...
commercial.
- The word was used in the song Impressed by DJ Isaac.
- The word is used in an episode of Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories is a 2001-2002 TV series based on Terry Deary's book series of the same name, featuring Stitch and Mo as they embark on journeys to discover the real secrets of the past - the gory ones...
. The teacher in a Victorian school whips a boy for failing to spell the word.
- In an episode of the animated TV show Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force is an American animated television series shown on Cartoon Network as part of its Adult Swim late-night programming block, as well as Teletoon in Canada...
, a cybernetic turkey from the future makes the statement that tacos do not exist in the future, stating, "I think we all know why. Anti-taco legislation! Disestablishmentarianism!"
- In the videogame Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is the third major platforming installment in the Rayman series. It tells the story of how Rayman stops André, an evil black lum, from taking over the world with his army of sack-like 'Hoodlum' soldiers. The game has sarcastic self-referential undertones and pokes fun at the...
, Murfy says, "Extraordinary. There's no other word for it. Antidisestablishmentarianism extraordinary, that is."
- In an episode of Leverage
Leverage is a U.S. television drama series on TNT that premiered in December, 2008. The series is produced by director/executive producer Dean Devlin's production company Electric Television...
, the word is used while trying to make students fail a spelling bee contest.
- In the song Word Disassociation, by Lemon Demon, one of the last word they sing is Antidisestablishmentarianism.