I. ˈlȯŋ also ˈläŋ adjective
( lon·ger -ŋgə(r) ; lon·gest -ŋgə̇st)
Etymology: Middle English long, lang, from Old English; akin to Old High German lang long, Old Norse langr, Gothic langs, Latin longus, Middle Persian drang, Sanskrit dīrgha — more at indulge
1.
a. : extending for a considerable distance : having great length
oaks in long and imposing avenues — American Guide Series: Louisiana
a long coastline
the long trip from New York to London was made in remarkably short time
b. : having greater length than usual
a large oval man, with a long oiled mustache — Lawrence Durrell
a long car
long fingers
c. : having greater height than usual : tall
walked over to the long French windows and looked out — May Sarton
a long , lean individual — F.V.W.Mason
a race of long gaunt men — Sherwood Anderson
d. : having a greater length than breadth : elongated
a long skull
a long face
e. : longer than desirable or necessary : too long
the dress is long on her
the column is two lines long
his first serve was long
2.
a. : having a specified length
the table was six feet long
b. : forming the chief linear dimension
the long side of the building
placed the sofa the long way of the room
3.
a. : extending over a considerable time
even after long experience editing has never become easy — E.S.McCartney
a long tradition of national consciousness — Vera M. Dean
a long friendship
b. : having a specified duration
the play was two hours long
c. : prolonged beyond the usual time : not interrupted
drank in long , greedy swallows — Scott Fitzgerald
the occasional shutting of a door would peal in long reverberations — T.L.Peacock
a long look
a long breath
the four enemies who were lifting the long yell as they came racing for him — W.N.Burns
4.
a. : containing many items in a series
a long and strong list of candidates was put forward — S.H.Adams
the long series of combat operations — Mack Morriss
played a long list of comedy and farcical roles — W.P.Eaton
b. : having a specified number of units
a book 300 pages long
c. : consisting of a greater number or amount than usual : large
this son was a man of 40 or thereabouts, was married, and had a long family — A.T.Quiller-Couch
now reverenced as a master … because his pictures fetch long prices — Clive Bell
5.
a. of a speech sound : having a relatively long duration
the vowel of dark is longer than the vowel of dock when the r is not pronounced
b. : indicating the member of a pair of similarly spelled vowel or partly vowel sounds that is descended from a vowel long in duration but that now is not long in duration or does not have duration as its chief distinguishing feature
long a in fate
long e in equal
long i in sign
long o in ode
long u in fuse
c.
(1) of a syllable in Greek or Latin verse : of relatively extended duration
(2) of a syllable in English verse : stressed
6.
a. : lasting too long : tedious
a long lecture
a long explanation
b. : seeming to pass slowly and heavily
those long grim years between the fall of France and the battle of El Alamein — R.K.Dickson
hung parasitically round the court in the long days of its poverty — A.M.Young
7. : having the capacity to reach or extend or travel a considerable distance
the long voice of the hounds — Thomas Wolfe
a long northeast wind — Marjory S. Douglas
a fighter with a long left jab
hits a long ball
long sight
8. of a number or unit of measure : larger or longer than the standard
long mile
9.
a. : extending far into the future
a long view of the problem
the thoughts of youth are long , long thoughts — H.W.Longfellow
b. : extending beyond what is known or easily verified
a long guess
c. : far off in time : remote
a long date
d. : payable after a considerable period
a long note
10. : consisting of or containing long straw
long fodder
11. : especially strong in or especially well furnished with — used with on
deficient in logic but long on human understanding — Stuart Chase
long on ancestry and short on cash — Clement Eaton
12. of betting odds
a. : marked by an unusual degree of difference between the amounts wagered on each side
odds of 30 to 1 or even longer
b. : of or relating to the larger amount wagered
take the long end of the bet
13. : subject to great odds : having little likelihood of success
strike out for himself, be independent, take a long chance for a large reward — W.P.Webb
14. : holding securities or goods in anticipation of an advance in prices
long of cotton
be on the long side of the market
15. of a beverage : served in a tall glass : constituting a large measure
a long drink
16. : adequate in amount : capable of meeting consumer needs
corn is in long supply
17. of fractional paper sizes : having a longer dimension equal to the shorter dimension of the full-size sheet
long quarto
18.
a. : flowing readily : fluid
a long printing ink
b. : yielding a readily flowing mixture
a long carbon black
19. : telephoto
•
- at long last
- at the longest
- long in the tooth
II. adverb
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English longe, lange, from Old English, from long, lang, adjective
1. : for or during a long time
children know what a story or play is long before they know what an essay is — George Sampson
a quiet picturesque resort, long the gathering place of artists — American Guide Series: Michigan
2. : at or to a long distance : far — used chiefly in combination
long -removed
long -traveled
3. : for the duration of a specified period
all summer long
all his life long
all day long
4. : at a point of time far before or after a specified moment or event
long before the discovery of America
his diary was deciphered long after his death
5. : after or beyond a specified time — used in the comparative
didn't stay longer than five o'clock
the city held out longer than a year under siege
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English long, lang, from long, lang, adjective
1. : a long period of time
expected the train before long
2.
[Middle English, from Medieval Latin longa — more at longa ]
in mensural notation : a note that in imperfect time is one half the length of a large note and twice the length of a breve, and in perfect time is one third the length of a large note and three times the length of a breve
3. : a long syllable
4. : one who purchases or operates on the long side of the market — compare bull 2a
5. : a long signal (as in Morse code)
tapped out a long and a short
blew two longs on his whistle
6.
a. longs plural : long trousers
was proudly wearing his first pair of longs
b. : a size in men's clothing (as suits, coats, slacks) for the person who is above average in height
7. longs plural : long-term bonds
•
- the long and short
IV. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English longen, langen, from Old English longian, langian; akin to Old Saxon langōn to long, Old High German langēn, Old Norse langa; derivative from the root of English long (I)
: to feel a strong desire or craving : wish for something intensely : yearn
long for summer to come
when I look at her dancing, I long to dance with her — Anne D. Sedgwick
longs for the big sales that a sensational book or a novelty may seem to promise — August Frugé
Synonyms:
long , yearn , hanker , pine , hunger , and thirst mean in common to have a strong desire (for something). long implies wishing for something with one's whole heart
however much you may long for a cigarette — Agnes M. Miall
long for peace and security after war and disorder
for the first time in her life she had ceased longing, ceased striving — Ellen Glasgow
yearn adds to long the idea of eagerness, tenderness, or passionateness
yearn for something to believe in
they often became homesick and yearned for their old associations — V.G.Heiser
gazed into his faded blue eyes as if yearning to be understood — Joseph Conrad
yearned for the return of a lover
hanker suggests somewhat disparagingly that one is made uneasy or restless by a desire
he hankered after other, strange delights — Robertson Davies
no hankering to be the founder of a new system of philosophy — M.R.Cohen
all who enjoy or hanker after a life in the open air — British Book News
hanker after illicit pleasures
pine suggests a languishing or other more or less adverse physical effect from usually fruitless longing
one realizes all the pleasure of the present good; the other converts it into pain by pining after something better — T.L.Peacock
some people pine for adventure, stalk it, woo it with lures — Sylvia Berkman
the job he had always pined for — Time
hunger and thirst suggest a compelling craving
could even a mother have hungered more acutely for the sight of a daughter? — Ellen Glasgow
people thirsting for conquest — Julien Benda
she was thirsting to hear the whole of the story — Winston Churchill
V. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English longen, from along ( on ) because (of) — more at along of
archaic : to be suitable or fitting
give thee everything that longs unto the daughter of a king — William Morris
VI. abbreviation
1. longeron
2. longitude; longitudinal