EnglishEdit

 
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PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English long, lang, from Old English long, lang (long, tall, lasting), from Proto-West Germanic *lang, from Proto-Germanic *langaz (long), from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos (long). Cognate with Scots lang (long), North Frisian long, lung (long), Saterland Frisian loang (long), Norwegian, West Frisian, Dutch and German lang (long), Swedish lång (long), Icelandic langur (long), Portuguese longo (long), Spanish luengo (long), Latin longus (long), Russian дли́нный (dlínnyj), долго (dolgo), Sanskrit दीर्घ (dīrgha, long).

The word exceptionally retains the Old English darkening of -a- before nasals. Though there are other such examples in Middle and Modern English (e.g. bond), the o-form may have been reinforced by Old French long, from Latin longus, from the same Indo-European word. Doublet of lungo and lunge.

AdjectiveEdit

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.
    How long was your newborn baby?
    • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., OCLC 222716698:
      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[1]:
      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.
  3. Seeming to last a lot of time, due to being boring or tedious or tiring.
  4. (Britain, dialect) Not short; tall.
    • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 731476803:
      The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it.
  5. (finance) Possessing or owning stocks, bonds, commodities, or other financial instruments with the aim of benefiting from an expected rise in their value.
    Coordinate term: short
    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. Passing or landing ahead of or beyond the intended target or location, as weapons fire or landing aircraft.
    The plane touched down long and overran the end of the runway.
    • 2021 March 10, Drachinifel, Guadalcanal Campaign - The Big Night Battle: Night 1 (IJN 3(?) : 2 USN)[2], archived from the original on 7 November 2022, retrieved 6 November 2022, 28:10 from the start:
      Juneau was making good time with the other surviving U.S. Navy ships, despite her damage, when the I-26 spotted her and sent a salvo of Type 95 torpedoes in her direction. Passing between the Helena and San Francisco, some indication being they had actually been shot at the San Francisco and gone long because San Francisco was travelling significantly slower than expected, they nonetheless hit Juneau and detonated the ship's magazine.
  8. (tennis, of a ball or a shot) Landing beyond the baseline, and therefore deemed to be out.
    That forehand is long.
  9. (gambling) Of betting odds, offering a very large return for a small wager.
  10. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
Usage notesEdit
  • 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).
SynonymsEdit
AntonymsEdit
  • (having much distance from one point to another): low (vertically upwards), shallow (vertically upwards or downwards), short
  • (having great duration): brief, short
HyponymsEdit
Hyponyms of long (long duration)
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
See alsoEdit

NounEdit

long (plural longs)

  1. (linguistics) A long vowel.
    • 1877, Henry Sweet, A Handbook of Phonetics (volume 2, page 60)
      In French most vowels are half-long, and are only occasionally lengthened or shortened into full longs and shorts.
  2. (prosody) A long syllable.
  3. (music) A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
  4. (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.
  5. (finance) An entity with a long position in an asset.
    Every uptick made the longs cheer.
  6. (finance) A long-term investment.
    • 1977, Jerome B. Cohen; Edward D. Zinbarg; Arthur Zeikel, Guide to Intelligent Investing, OCLC 1149155660, page 203:
      Likewise, if borrowers prefer to sell short-maturity issues at the time lenders prefer to invest in longs, as is the case when interest rates are expected to fall, longer maturity issues will tend to yield less than shorter maturity issues.
  7. (UK, colloquial, dated) The long summer vacation at the English universities.
    • 1863, Reade, Charles, Hard Cash:
      " [] Did I not forbid all these nicknames and all this Oxfordish, by proclamation, last Long."
      "Last Long?"
      "Hem! last protracted vacation."

VerbEdit

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.
TranslationsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English longe, lange, from Old English longe, lange, from the adjective (see above).

AdverbEdit

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.
    She has known us as long as you
    I haven't long to live.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. [], part II (books IV–VI), London: [] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, OCLC 932900760, stanza 17, page 512:
      My liefe (ſayd ſhe) ye know, that long ygo, / Whileſt ye in durance dwelt, ye to me gaue / A little mayde, the which ye chylded tho ; / The ſame againe if now ye liſt to haue, / The ſame is yonder Lady, whom high God did ſaue.
    • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene iii], page 156, column 1:
      I ſtay too long ; but here my Father comes : / A double bleſſing is a double grace; / Occaſion ſmiles vpon a ſecond leaue.
    • 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.
    • 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.
SynonymsEdit
  • (over a great distance): a long way, far
  • (for a long duration): a long time
AntonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
See alsoEdit

Etymology 3Edit

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 *lengʷʰ- (to be easy, be quick, jump, move around, vary). Cognate with German langen (to reach, be sufficient), Swedish langa (to push, pass by hand), Icelandic langa (to want, desire), Dutch, German verlangen (to desire, want, long for).

VerbEdit

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).
    Synonyms: ache, yearn
    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 notesEdit
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

Etymology 4Edit

From Middle English long, lang, an aphetic form of Middle English ilong, ylong, from Old English ġelong, ġelang (along, belonging, depending, consequent); the verb later reinterpreted as an aphetic form of belong.

AdjectiveEdit

long (not comparable)

  1. (archaic) On account of, because of.
    • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.8, page 224:
      I am of opinion, that in regarde of theſe debauches and lewde actions, fathers may, in ſome ſort, be blamed, and that it is onely long of them.

VerbEdit

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.

Etymology 5Edit

Shortening of longitude.

NounEdit

long (plural longs)

  1. Abbreviation of longitude.
Coordinate termsEdit

Etymology 6Edit

From Middle English longen, from Old English langian (to belong, pertain), from Old English *lang, which is of uncertain origin yet related to Old English ġelang (dependent, attainable, present, belonging, consequent), Old Saxon gilang (ready, available).

VerbEdit

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

  1. (obsolete) To belong.

Further readingEdit

  • long at OneLook Dictionary Search
  • long in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

AfrikaansEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Dutch long, from Middle Dutch longe, also longen, longene, from Old Dutch *lungan, *lunganna, from Proto-Germanic *lunganjō.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

long (plural longe, diminutive longetjie)

  1. lung

DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle Dutch longe, also longen, longene, from Old Dutch *lungan, *lunganna, from Proto-Germanic *lunganjō.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

long f or m (plural longen, diminutive longetje n)

  1. lung

Usage notesEdit

Traditionally feminine in the Netherlands, masculine in Belgium due to masculinisation.

Derived termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

  • Afrikaans: long
  • Negerhollands: longe
  • Papiamentu: long (dated)
  • Sranan Tongo: lon
    • Caribbean Javanese: long

ReferencesEdit

  • long” in Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal – Officiële Spelling, Nederlandse Taalunie. [the official spelling word list for the Dutch language]

Franco-ProvençalEdit

AdjectiveEdit

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

  1. long

Derived termsEdit

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old French long, from longe, longue, feminine of lonc, lunc, from Latin longus, from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos (long). Cognate with English long, origin of German Chaiselongue.

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

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

  1. long
    Synonyms: épais, grand, haut, large, profond
    Antonyms: bas, court, étroit, mince
    Le nez de Pinocchio mesure le matin 5 cm de long
    The nose of Pinocchio measures in the morning 5 cm long

Derived termsEdit

Further readingEdit

Haitian CreoleEdit

EtymologyEdit

French long (long).

AdjectiveEdit

long

  1. long

HlaiEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Hlai *C-luŋ (big), from Pre-Hlai *C-luŋ (Norquest, 2015). Compare Proto-Tai *ʰluəŋᴬ (big) (whence Thai หลวง (lǔuang)).

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

long

  1. big

SynonymsEdit

IndonesianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Betawi [Term?], from Hokkien (lóng, lōng, “bright”).

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): [ˈlɔŋ]
  • Hyphenation: long

NounEdit

long (first-person possessive longku, second-person possessive longmu, third-person possessive longnya)

  1. large firecracker.
    Hypernym: petasan

Alternative formsEdit

Further readingEdit

IrishEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

long f (genitive singular loinge, nominative plural longa)

  1. ship

DeclensionEdit

Derived termsEdit

Further readingEdit

MalayEdit

EtymologyEdit

Compare Khmer លោង (loong), Cham [louŋ], Thai โลง (loong).

PronunciationEdit

  This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

NounEdit

long (Jawi spelling لوڠ‎, plural long-long, informal 1st possessive longku, 2nd possessive longmu, 3rd possessive longnya)

  1. coffin; casket
    Synonyms: larung, keranda

Further readingEdit

MandarinEdit

RomanizationEdit

long

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

Usage notesEdit

  • 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.

Middle EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old English lang, from Proto-West Germanic *lang.

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /lɔnɡ/, /lɔːnɡ/

AdjectiveEdit

long

  1. long

DescendantsEdit

ReferencesEdit

MizoEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *looŋ, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-lawŋ.

NounEdit

long

  1. boat

ReferencesEdit

  • Grammar and Dictionary of the Lushai Language by J.H. Lorrain, Shillong 1898

Naga PidginEdit

 
long

EtymologyEdit

Inherited from Assamese লং (loṅ), from Sanskrit लवंग (lavaṃga).

NounEdit

long (plural longkhan)

  1. clove

NormanEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

AdjectiveEdit

long m

  1. (Jersey) long

OccitanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin longus.

AdjectiveEdit

long m (feminine singular longa, masculine plural longs, feminine plural longas)

  1. long

Related termsEdit

Old EnglishEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

long

  1. Alternative form of lang

DeclensionEdit

Old FrenchEdit

Alternative formsEdit

  • lonc (early Old French)
  • lunc (Anglo-Norman)

EtymologyEdit

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

AdjectiveEdit

long m (oblique and nominative feminine singular longe)

  1. long (length, duration)

DeclensionEdit

DescendantsEdit

Old FrisianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-West Germanic *lang, from Proto-Germanic *langaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos. Cognates include Old English lang, Old Saxon lang and Old Dutch *lang.

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

long

  1. long

DescendantsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN

Old IrishEdit

EtymologyEdit

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.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

long f (genitive lungae, nominative plural longa)

  1. boat
  2. ship

InflectionEdit

Feminine ā-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative longL loingL, luing longaH
Vocative longL loingL, luing longaH
Accusative loingN, luing loingL, luing longaH
Genitive lungaeH longL longN
Dative loingL, luing longaib longaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization

SynonymsEdit

DescendantsEdit

MutationEdit

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

PijinEdit

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.

PrepositionEdit

long

  1. to; toward; into
  2. in; at; near
    • 1988, Geoffrey Miles White, Bikfala faet: olketa Solomon Aelanda rimembarem Wol Wo Tu[3], page 75:
      Bihaen hemi finisim skul blong hem, hemi go minista long sios long ples blong hem long 'Areo.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)

Scottish GaelicEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Irish long. Compare Welsh llong.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

long f (genitive singular luinge, plural longan)

  1. ship

Derived termsEdit

Tok PisinEdit

EtymologyEdit

From English along.

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /loŋ/, [lɔŋ], [lɔ(ː)]

PrepositionEdit

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, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 1:15:
      Ol dispela lait i mas kamap long skai bilong givim lait long graun.”
      →New International Version translation
      • 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, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 1:15:
      Ol dispela lait i mas kamap long skai bilong givim lait long graun.”
      →New International Version translation
      • 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, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 1:22:
      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.”
      →New International Version translation
      • 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, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 2:22:
      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.
      →New International Version translation
      • 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, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:14:
      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.
      →New International Version translation
      • 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, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:17:
      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.
      →New International Version translation
      • 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 termsEdit

VietnameseEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

Compare lung as in lung lay.

AdjectiveEdit

long

  1. loose
    răng longloose tooth

Etymology 2Edit

Sino-Vietnamese word from (dragon).

NounEdit

long

  1. (only in compounds) dragon

WelshEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

long

  1. Soft mutation of llong.

MutationEdit

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.

YolaEdit

AdjectiveEdit

long

  1. Alternative form of lhaung
    • 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, line 12:
      praie var long an happie zins, shorne o'lournagh an ee-vilt wi benisons,
      implore long and happy days, free from melancholy and full of blessings,

ReferencesEdit

  • Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 116