Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz (en.wikipedia.org)

I remember this word coming up in /r/calligraphy as a joke, and doing it in three scripts, just for kicks: https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/12643089914_a2fe5b5f5f_k...

German usually packs descriptions into "single words" by starting with some base, like "meat" and further qualifying it with other adjectives but without a space. You can get away with not knowing every part of the word and still get the gist of it in the same way you might not know a word in "Cattle marking and beef labeling supervision duties delegation law" but still get the gist. This is an oversimplification of course.

So this is why HN’s width was larger than my phone screen

I love the German language! An even longer German word is Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung (regulation for the approval of delegating the responsibility to allow traffic on premises) http://www.sprachschach.de/das-laengste-deutsche-wort/

genau!