German orthography
Compound words, including nouns, are written together, e.g. "Haustür" (Haus+Tür; house door), "Tischlampe" (Tisch+Lampe; table lamp), "Kaltwasserhahn" (Kalt+Wasser+Hahn; cold water tap/faucet). This can lead to long words: the longest word in regular use, "Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften" ("legal protection insurance companies"), consists of 39 letters; while the longest German word ever published ("Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft", "Association for subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services") has 79 letters.
Etymological Dictionary of the German Language
The Etymological Dictionary of the German Language is a reference book for the history of the German language, and was one of the first books of its kind ever written. Originally written in 1883 by Friedrich Kluge, it is still actively maintained and considered a standard work among the German etymological dictionaries. The most recent publication was released in 2011 in print, eBook and as an Android app.