Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Long

Long

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Longer
;
sup
erl.
Longest
.]
[AS.
long
,
lang
; akin to OS, OFries., D., & G.
lang
, Icel.
langr
, Sw.
lång
, Dan.
lang
, Goth.
laggs
, L.
longus
. √125. Cf.
Length
,
Ling
a fish,
Linger
,
Lunge
,
Purloin
.]
1.
Drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; protracted; extended;
as, a
long
line; – opposed to
short
, and distinguished from
broad
or
wide
.
2.
Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a considerable tine, or to a great length;
as, a
long
series of events; a
long
debate; a
long
drama; a
long
history; a
long
book.
3.
Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration; lingering;
as,
long
hours of watching
.
4.
Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
The we may us reserve both fresh and strong
Against the tournament, which is not
long
.
Spenser.
5.
Having a length of the specified measure; of a specified length;
as, a span
long
; a yard
long
; a mile
long
, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
6.
Far-reaching; extensive.
“ Long views.”
Burke.
7.
(Phonetics)
Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in utterance; – said of vowels and syllables. See
Short
,
Adj.
, 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 22, 30.
☞ Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as, long-armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long-horned, long-necked, long-sleeved, long-tailed, long- worded, etc.
In the long run
,
in the whole course of things taken together; in the ultimate result; eventually.
–
Long clam
(Zool.)
,
the common clam (
Mya arenaria
) of the Northern United States and Canada; – called also
soft-shell clam
and
long-neck clam
. See
Mya
.
–
Long cloth
,
a kind of cotton cloth of superior quality.
–
Long clothes
,
clothes worn by a young infant, extending below the feet.
–
Long division
.
(Math.)
See
Division
.
–
Long dozen
,
one more than a dozen; thirteen.
–
Long home
,
the grave.
–
Long measure
,
Long meter
.
See under
Measure
,
Meter
.
–
Long Parliament
(Eng. Hist.)
,
the Parliament which assembled Nov. 3, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell, April 20, 1653.
–
Long price
,
the full retail price.
–
Long purple
(Bot.)
,
a plant with purple flowers, supposed to be the
Orchis mascula
.
Dr. Prior.
–
Long suit
(a)
(Whist)
,
a suit of which one holds originally more than three cards.
R. A. Proctor.
(b)
One’s most important resource or source of strength;
as, as an entertainer, her voice was her
long suit
.
–
Long tom
.
(a)
A pivot gun of great length and range, on the dock of a vessel.
(b)
A long trough for washing auriferous earth.
[Western U.S.]
(c)
(Zool.)
The long-tailed titmouse.
–
Long wall
(Coal Mining)
,
a working in which the whole seam is removed and the roof allowed to fall in, as the work progresses, except where passages are needed.
–
Of long
,
a long time.
[Obs.]
Fairfax.
–
To be long of the market
, or
To go long of the market
,
To be on the long side of the market
, etc.
(Stock Exchange)
,
to hold stock for a rise in price, or to have a contract under which one can demand stock on or before a certain day at a stipulated price; – opposed to
short
in such phrases as, to be short of stock, to sell short, etc.
[Cant]
See
Short
.
–
To have a long head
,
to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.

Long

,
Noun.
1.
(Mus.)
A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
2.
(Phonetics)
A long sound, syllable, or vowel.
3.
The longest dimension; the greatest extent; – in the phrase, the long and the short of it, that is, the sum and substance of it.
Addison.

Long

,
adv.
[AS.
lance
.]
1.
To a great extent in space;
as, a
long
drawn out line
.
2.
To a great extent in time; during a long time.
They that tarry
long
at the wine.
Prov. xxiii. 30.
When the trumpet soundeth
long
.
Ex. xix. 13.
3.
At a point of duration far distant, either prior or posterior;
as, not
long
before; not
long
after;
long
before the foundation of Rome;
long
after the Conquest.
4.
Through the whole extent or duration.
The bird of dawning singeth all night
long
.
Shakespeare
5.
Through an extent of time, more or less; – only in question;
as, how
long
will you be gone?

Long

,
p
rep.
[Abbreviated fr.
along
. See 3d
Along
.]
By means of; by the fault of; because of.
[Obs.]
See
Along of
, under 3d
Along
.

Long

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Longed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Longing
.]
[AS.
langian
to increase, to lengthen, to stretch out the mind after, to long, to crave, to belong to, fr.
lang
long. See
Long
,
Adj.
]
1.
To feel a strong or morbid desire or craving; to wish for something with eagerness; – followed by an infinitive, or by
for
or
after
.
I
long
to see you.
Rom. i. 11.
I have
longed
after thy precepts.
Ps. cxix. 40.
I have
longed
for thy salvation.
Ps. cxix. 174.
Nicomedes,
longing
for herrings, was supplied with fresh ones . . . at a great distance from the sea.
Arbuthnot.
2.
To belong; – used with
to
,
unto
, or
for
.
[Obs.]
The labor which that
longeth
unto me.
Chaucer.

Webster 1828 Edition

Long

LONG

,
Adj.
[L. longus.]
1.
Extended; drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; opposed to short, and contradistinguished from broad or wide. Long is a relative term; for a thing may be long in respect to one thing, and short with respect to another. We apply long to things greatly extended, and to things which exceed the common measure. we say, a long way, a long distance, a long line, and long hair, long arms. By the latter terms, we mean hair and arms exceeding the usual length.
2.
Drawn out or extended in time; as a long time; a long period of time; a long while; a long series of events; a long sickness or confinement; a long session; a long debate.
3.
Extended to any certain measure expressed; as a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, &c.
4.
Dilatory; continuing for an extended time.
5.
Tedious; continued to a great length.
A tale should never be too long.
6.
Continued in a series to a great extent; as a long succession of princes; a long line of ancestors.
7.
Continued in sound; protracted; as a long note; a long syllable.
8.
Continued; lingering or longing.
Praying for him, and casting a long look that way, he saw the galley leave the pursuit.
9.
Extensive; extending far in prospect or into futurity.
The perennial existence of bodies corporate and their fortunes, are things particularly suited to a man who has long views.
Long home, the grave or death. Eccles. 41.

LONG

,
Noun.
Formerly, a musical note equal to two breves. Obs.

LONG

, adv.
1.
To a great extent in space; as a long extended line.
2.
To a great extent in time; as, they that tarry long at the wine. Prov. 23.
When the trumpet soundeth long. Ex. 19.
So in composition we say, long-expected, long-forgot.
3.
At a point of duration far distant, either prior or posterior; as not long before; not long after; long before the foundation of Rome; long after the conquest of Gaul by Julius Cesar.
4.
Through the whole extent or duration of.
The God who fed me all my life long to this day. Gen. 48.
The bird of dawning singeth all night long.

LONG

, adv.
By means of; by the fault of; owing to. Obs.
Mistress, all this evil is long of you.

LONG

,
Verb.
T.
To belong. [Not used.]

LONG

, v.i.
1.
To desire earnestly or eagerly.
I long to see you. Romans 1.
I have longed after thy precepts. Ps. 119.
I have longed for thy salvation. Ps. 119.
2.
To have a preternatural craving appetite; as a longing woman.
3.
To have an eager appetite; as, to long for fruit.

Definition 2024

Long

Long

See also: Appendix:Variations of "long"

English

Proper noun

Long

  1. A surname​. Originally a nickname for a tall man.

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German lunga, from Proto-Germanic *lungw-. Cognate with German Lunge, Dutch long, English lung, Icelandic lunga.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /loŋ/
  • Rhymes: -oŋ

Noun

Long f ‎(plural Longen)

  1. lung

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 龍 or 隆.

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Long

  1. A male or female given name

long

long

See also: Appendix:Variations of "long"

English

Adjective

long ‎(comparative longer, superlative longest)

  1. Having much distance from one terminating point on an object or an area to another terminating point (usually applies to horizontal dimensions; see Usage Notes below).
    It's a long way from the Earth to the Moon.‎
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
      We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess:
      The face which emerged was not reassuring. […]. He was not a mongol but there was a deficiency of a sort there, and it was not made more pretty by a latter-day hair cut which involved eccentrically long elf-locks and oiled black curls.
  2. Having great duration.
    The pyramids of Egypt have been around for a long time.‎
    • 2013 July 20, “Out of the gloom”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
      [Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.
  3. Seemingly lasting a lot of time, because it is boring or tedious or tiring.
    • 1877, Anna Sewell, Black Beauty, Chapter 23
      What I suffered with that rein for four long months in my lady's carriage, it would be hard to describe, but I am quite sure that, had it lasted much longer, either my health or my temper would have given way.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:
      I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.
  4. (Britain, dialect) Not short; tall.
  5. (finance) Possessing or owning stocks, bonds, commodities or other financial instruments with the aim of benefiting of the expected rise in their value.
    I'm long in DuPont;  I have a long position in DuPont.‎
  6. (cricket) Of a fielding position, close to the boundary (or closer to the boundary than the equivalent short position).
  7. (tennis, of a ball or a shot) That land beyond the baseline (and therefore is out).
    No! That forehand is long […].‎
  8. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
    • Edmund Spenser (c.1552–1599)
      That we may us reserve both fresh and strong / Against the tournament, which is not long.
Usage notes
  • Wide is usually used instead of long when referring to a horizontal dimension (left to right).
  • Tall or high are usually used instead of long when referring to positive vertical dimension (upwards), and deep when referring to negative vertical dimension (downwards).
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • (having much distance from one point to another): low (vertically upwards), shallow (vertically upwards or downwards), short
  • (having great duration): brief, short
  • (finance): short
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Adverb

long ‎(comparative longer, superlative longest)

  1. Over a great distance in space.
    He threw the ball long.‎
  2. For a particular duration.
    How long is it until the next bus arrives?‎
    • 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
      Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, […]. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe.
  3. For a long duration.
    Will this interview take long?‎
    Paris has long been considered one of the most cultured cities in the world.‎
    • 1594, William Shakespeare, Hamlet i 3
      I stay too long: but here my father comes.
    • 1922, Michael Arlen, “Ep./4/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
      The world was awake to the 2nd of May, but Mayfair is not the world, and even the menials of Mayfair lie long abed.
    • 1991, James Melvin Washington, editor, A testament of hope: the essential writings and speeches of Martin Luther King, page 636:
      I answer by saying that I have worked too long and hard now against segregated public accommodations to end up segregating my moral concern.
Synonyms
  • (over a great distance): a long way, far
  • (for a long duration): a long time
Antonyms
Translations
See also

Noun

long ‎(plural longs)

  1. (linguistics) A long vowel.
  2. (programming) A long integer variable, twice the size of an int, two or four times the size of a short, and half of a long long.
    A long is typically 64 bits in a 32-bit environment.
  3. (finance) An entity with a long position in an asset.
    Every uptick made the longs cheer.
  4. (music) A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.

Verb

long ‎(third-person singular simple present longs, present participle longing, simple past and past participle longed)

  1. (transitive, finance) To take a long position in.
    • 2004, Thomas S. Y. Ho; Sang Bin Lee, Sang-bin Yi, The Oxford Guide to Financial Modeling, page 84:
      The left panel shows the profile of a portfolio consisting of longing a call and shorting a put.
See also

Etymology 2

From Middle English longen, from Old English langian ‎(“to long for, yearn after, grieve for, be pained, lengthen, grow longer, summon, belong”), from Proto-Germanic *langōną ‎(“to desire, long for”), from Proto-Indo-European *dl̥h₁gʰós ‎(“long”). Cognate with German langen ‎(“to reach, be sufficient”), Swedish langa ‎(“to push, pass by hand”), Icelandic langa ‎(“to want, desire”), Dutch and German verlangen ‎(“to desire, want, long for”).

Verb

long ‎(third-person singular simple present longs, present participle longing, simple past and past participle longed)

  1. (intransitive) To await, aspire, desire greatly (something to occur or to be true)
    She longed for him to come back.
    • 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
      The Rabbit sighed. He thought it would be a long time before this magic called Real happened to him. He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; and yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad.
Usage notes
  • This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

Aphetic form of Old English gelang; the verb later reinterpreted as an aphetic form of belong.

Adjective

long ‎(not comparable)

  1. (archaic) On account of, because of.
    • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.8:
      I am of opinion that in regard of these debauches and lewd actions, fathers may, in some sort, be blamed, and that it is only long of them.

Verb

long ‎(third-person singular simple present longs, present participle longing, simple past and past participle longed)

  1. (archaic) To be appropriate to, to pertain or belong to.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.3:
      A goodly Armour, and full rich aray, / Which long'd to Angela, the Saxon Queene, / All fretted round with gold, and goodly wel beseene.
    • about 1591, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, IV, 4:
      Tis well, and hold your owne in any case / With such austeritie as longeth to a father.

Etymology 4

Shortening of longitude

Noun

long ‎(plural longs)

  1. longitude
Coordinate terms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: himself · go · how · #119: long · am · way · even

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɔŋ

Etymology

From Middle Dutch longe, also longen, longene, from Old Dutch *lungan, *lunganna, from Proto-Germanic *lunganjō, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *lengʷʰ- ‎(“light, agile, nimble”).

Cognate with West Frisian long, German Lunge, English lung, Danish lunge, Swedish lunga, Icelandic lunga.

Noun

long c ‎(plural longen, diminutive longetje n)

  1. (anatomy) lung

See also

Franco-Provençal

Adjective

long m (feminine singular longe, masculine plural longs, feminine plural longes)

  1. long

Derived terms

French

Etymology

From Old French long, from longe, longue, feminine of lonc, lunc, from Latin longus, from Proto-Indo-European *dl̥h₁gʰós ‎(“long”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lɔ̃/
  • Rhymes: -ɔ̃
  • Homophone: longs

Adjective

long m ‎(feminine singular longue, masculine plural longs, feminine plural longues)

  1. long

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish long, from Latin (navis) longa ‎(“long (ship)”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /l̪ˠɔŋ/

Noun

long f ‎(genitive singular loinge, nominative plural longa)

  1. ship

Declension

Mandarin

Romanization

long

  1. Nonstandard spelling of lōng.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of lóng.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of lǒng.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of lòng.

Usage notes

  • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Norman

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French long, a back-formation from longe, longue, the feminine form of Early Old French lonc, from Latin longus.

Adjective

long m

  1. (Jersey) long

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Backformation from longe, longue, the feminine form of lonc.

Adjective

long m ‎(oblique and nominative feminine singular longe)

  1. long (length, duration)

Declension

Old Irish

Etymology

Generally assumed to be a Latin loan, from (navis) longa, but Joseph Loth believed it to be from Proto-Celtic; either way, cognate to Welsh llong.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /l͈oŋɡ/

Noun

long f ‎(genitive lungae, nominative plural longa)

  1. boat
  2. ship

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Synonyms

  • bárc
  • cnairr
  • laídeng
  • scib

Descendants

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
long
also llong after a proclitic 		long
pronounced with /l(ʲ)-/ 		long
also llong after a proclitic
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Pijin

Preposition

long

  1. to; toward; into
  2. in; at; near
    • 1988, Geoffrey Miles White, Bikfala faet: olketa Solomon Aelanda rimembarem Wol Wo Tu, page 75:
      Bihaen hemi finisim skul blong hem, hemi go minista long sios long ples blong hem long 'Areo.
This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. This language is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish long.

Noun

long f ‎(genitive singular luinge, plural longan)

  1. ship

Derived terms

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English along.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /loŋ/, [lɔŋ], [lɔ(ː)]

Preposition

long

  1. Used to mark spatial direct objects that something is oriented in the manner of, where English would use to, toward, into, or onto
    • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 1:15 (translation here):
      Ol dispela lait i mas kamap long skai bilong givim lait long graun.”
      • These lights must rise in the sky to cast light toward the ground.
  2. Used to mark spatial direct objects that something is oriented in the location of, where English would use in, at, on, or near
    • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 1:15 (translation here):
      Ol dispela lait i mas kamap long skai bilong givim lait long graun.”
      • These lights must rise in the sky to cast light toward the ground.
  3. Used to mark indirect objects, or direct objects of intransitive verbs, where English would use to
    • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 1:22 (translation here):
      Na God i mekim gutpela tok bilong givim strong long ol. Em i tokim ol olsem, “Yupela ol kain kain samting bilong solwara, yupela i mas kamap planti na pulapim olgeta hap bilong solwara. Na yupela ol pisin, yupela i mas kamap planti long graun.”
      • And God made a good speech to give strength to them. He said to them: "You varied things of the ocean, you must multiply and fill every part of the sea. And you birds, you must multiply on earth.
  4. Used to mark spatial direct objects that something is oriented in the manner opposite of, extracted from, or away from, where English would use from or out of
    • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 2:22 (translation here):
      Orait God i wokim wanpela meri long dispela bun em i bin kisim long man, na bihain em i bringim meri i go long man.
      • Then God made a woman out of that bone he had taken from the man, and later he brought the woman to go to the man.
  5. Used to mark temporal direct objects in which a condition lasts for a certain duration of time, where English would use for
    • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 3:14 (translation here):
      Na God, Bikpela i tokim snek olsem, “Yu bin mekim dispela pasin nogut, olsem na nau mi gat strongpela tok bilong daunim yu. Bai yu gat bikpela hevi. Hevi yu karim bai i winim hevi bilong olgeta arapela animal. Nau na long olgeta taim bihain bai yu wokabaut long bel bilong yu tasol. Na bai yu kaikai das bilong graun.
      • And the Lord God said to the snake: "You did a bad deed, and so I have a powerful curse for you. You will have a great weight. The wight you carry will exceed that of any all animals. Now, and for all times, you will only walk on your stomach. And you will eat the dirt of the earth.
  6. Used to mark a verb whose subject is the direct object of another verb, where English would use to or from
    • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 3:17 (translation here):
      Na God i tokim Adam olsem, “Yu bin harim tok bilong meri bilong yu, na yu bin kaikai pikinini bilong dispela diwai mi bin tambuim yu long kaikai. Olsem na nau bai mi bagarapim graun, na ol kaikai bai i no inap kamap gut long en. Oltaim bai yu wok hat tru bilong mekim kaikai i kamap long graun.
      • And God said to Adam: "You listened to what your woman said, and you ate a fruit of this tree which I have forbidden you from eating. And so I will now corrupt the earth, and food will not grow well enough. You will work very hard forever to make food grow in the ground.

Derived terms

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adjective

long

  1. loose
    răng long — loose tooth

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 龍 (“dragon”)

Noun

long

  1. dragon

Etymology 3

Sino-Vietnamese word from 場 (“space”)

Noun

long

  1. space

Welsh

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lɔŋ/

Noun

long

  1. Soft mutation of llong.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
llong long unchanged unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Etymology

From Middle English long, lang, from Old English longe, long, lang ‎(“long, tall, lasting”), from Proto-Germanic *langaz ‎(“long”), from Proto-Indo-European *dl̥h₁gʰós ‎(“long”). Cognate with Scots lang ‎(“long”), North Frisian long, lung ‎(“long”), Saterland Frisian loang ‎(“long”), West Frisian lang ‎(“long”), Dutch lang ‎(“long”), German lang ‎(“long”), Swedish lång ‎(“long”), Icelandic langur ‎(“long”), Galician longo ‎(“long”), Spanish luengo ‎(“long”), Latin longus ‎(“long”), Ancient Greek δολιχός ‎(dolikhós), Russian до́лгий ‎(dólgij), дли́нный ‎(dlínnyj).

Pronunciation

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