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'Saippuakivikauppias' is the world's longest palindrome, a fantastic Finnish word. What does it actually mean though?

Question #54445. Asked by Flynn_17.
Last updated Aug 23 2016.

Kainantu
Answer has 6 votes
Currently Best Answer
Kainantu

Answer has 6 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
It is Finnish for "a dealer in lye", meaning a seller of soap stone.
link http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-palindromic-word

Response last updated by LadyNym on Aug 23 2016.
Jan 25 2005, 6:19 PM
quickfire
Answer has 2 votes
quickfire
21 year member
124 replies

Answer has 2 votes.
Saippuakivikauppias is the Finnish word for a soapstone seller.

Jan 25 2005, 6:19 PM
peasypod
Answer has 3 votes
peasypod
20 year member
3273 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
All the sites I found say 'seller of soap stone' except this one that says "saippuakuppinippukauppias" is a 'soap cup dealer' but I might add it does have 6 more letters than your effort here, therefore this is the longest palindrome.
link http://thinkzone.wlonk.com/WordFun/WordFun.htm

Jan 25 2005, 7:13 PM
Flynn_17
Answer has 3 votes
Flynn_17
22 year member
604 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
'Saippuakivikauppias' is someone who sells caustic soda according to the Guinness Book or World Records and a Finnish translator. I don't know where soap stone came from. Besides, wouldn't the word 'steatite' be included if it were soapstone? Latin names cross these boundaries.

Jan 25 2005, 7:16 PM
Kainantu
Answer has 3 votes
Kainantu

Answer has 3 votes.
Lye is a strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide.
Sodium hydroxide is commonly called called Caustic soda.
Lye is used to make soap.
A lye seller would sell lye to people who would use it to make soap.

I too was puzzled by the "stone" addition.

Here is some more information from peasy's site:
link http://thinkzone.wlonk.com/WordFun/WordFun.htm

saippuakauppias - soap dealer
saippurakaruppias - soap salesman
saippuakivikauppias - lye dealer
saippuakuppinippukauppias - soap cup dealer

Jan 26 2005, 5:53 AM
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