long1

[lawng, long] /lɔŋ, lɒŋ/
adjective, longer
[lawng-ger, long-] /ˈlɔŋ gər, ˈlɒŋ-/ (Show IPA), longest
[lawng-gist, long-] /ˈlɔŋ gɪst, ˈlɒŋ-/ (Show IPA)
1.
having considerable linear extent in space:
a long distance; a long handle.
2.
having considerable duration in time:
a long conversation; a long while.
3.
extending, lasting, or totaling a number of specified units:
eight miles long; eight hours long.
4.
containing many items or units:
a long list.
5.
requiring a considerable time to relate, read, etc.:
a long story.
6.
extending beyond normal or moderate limits:
a long, boring speech.
7.
experienced as passing slowly, because of the difficulty, tedium, or unpleasantness involved:
long years of study.
8.
reaching well into the past:
a long memory.
9.
the longer of two or the longest of several:
the long way home; a brick with the long side exposed.
10.
taking a long time; slow:
He's certainly long getting here.
11.
forward-looking or considering all aspects; broad:
to take a long view of life.
12.
intense, thorough, or critical; seriously appraising:
a long look at one's past mistakes.
13.
having an ample supply or endowment of something (often followed by on):
to be long on advice; to be long on brains.
14.
having a considerable time to run, as a promissory note.
15.
Chiefly Law. distant or remote in time:
a long date.
16.
extending relatively far:
a man with a long reach.
17.
being higher or taller than usual:
long casement windows.
18.
being against great odds; unlikely:
a long chance.
19.
(of beverages) mixed or diluted with a large amount of soda, seltzer, etc.:
highballs, collinses, and other long drinks.
20.
(of the head or skull) of more than ordinary length from front to back.
21.
Phonetics.
  1. lasting a relatively long time: “Feed” has a longer sound than “feet” or “fit.”.
  2. belonging to a class of sounds considered as usually longer in duration than another class, as the vowel of bought as compared to that of but, and in many languages serving as a distinctive feature of phonemes, as the ah in German Bahn in contrast with the a in Bann, or the tt in Italian fatto in contrast with the t in fato (opposed to short).
  3. having the sound of the English vowels in mate, meet, mite, mote, moot, and mute, historically descended from vowels that were long in duration.
22.
Prosody. (of a syllable in quantitative verse) lasting a longer time than a short syllable.
23.
Finance. holding or accumulating stocks, futures, commodities, etc., with the expectation of a rise in prices:
a long position in chemicals.
24.
Gambling.
  1. marked by a large difference in the numbers of the given betting ratio or in the amounts wagered:
    long odds.
  2. of or pertaining to the larger amount bet.
25.
Ceramics. (of clay) very plastic; fat.
noun
26.
a comparatively long time:
They haven't been gone for long. Will it take long?
27.
something that is long:
The signal was two longs and a short.
28.
a size of garment for men who are taller than average.
29.
a garment, as a suit or overcoat, in this size:
The shorts and the longs are hung separately.
30.
Finance. a person who accumulates or holds stocks or commodities with the expectation of a rise in prices.
31.
Music. longa.
adverb
32.
for or through a great extent of space or, especially, time:
a reform long advocated.
33.
for or throughout a specified extent, especially of time:
How long did he stay?
34.
(used elliptically in referring to the length of an absence, delay, etc.):
Will she be long?
35.
throughout a specified period of time (usually used to emphasize a preceding noun):
It's been muggy all summer long.
36.
at a point of time far distant from the time indicated:
long before.
Idioms
37.
as long as,
  1. provided that:
    As long as you can come by six, I'll be here.
  2. seeing that; since:
    As long as you're going to the grocery anyway, buy me a pint of ice cream.
  3. Also, so long as. during the time that; through the period that:
    As long as we were neighbors, they never invited us inside their house.
38.
before long, soon:
We should have news of her whereabouts before long.
39.
the long and the short of, the point or gist of; substance of:
The long and the short of it is that they will be forced to sell all their holdings.
Also, the long and short of.
Origin
before 900; (adj.) Middle English longe, Old English lang, long; cognate with Dutch, German lang, Old Norse langr, Gothic langs, Latin longus; (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the adj.; (adv.) Middle English long(e), lange, Old English longe, lange, cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German lango
Related forms
longly, adverb
longness, noun
Synonyms
1. lengthy, extensive. 2. protracted, prolonged, extended. 6. overlong, wordy, prolix; tedious, boring.

long2

[lawng, long] /lɔŋ, lɒŋ/
verb (used without object)
1.
to have an earnest or strong desire or craving; yearn:
to long for spring; to long to return home.
Origin
before 900; Middle English longen, Old English langian grow longer, yearn after, summon; see long1
Synonyms
See yearn.

long3

[lawng, long] /lɔŋ, lɒŋ/
verb (used without object)
1.
Archaic. to be suitable or fitting.
2.
Obsolete. to be the possession; belong.
Origin
1150-1200; Middle English longen to be suitable or proper, belong, derivative of long on account (of), attributable (to), dependent (on), Old English gelang belonging (to), dependent (on); see along

Long

[lawng, long] /lɔŋ, lɒŋ/
noun
1.
Crawford Williamson
[wil-yuh m-suh n] /ˈwɪl yəm sən/ (Show IPA), 1815–78, U.S. surgeon.
2.
Huey Pierce
[hyoo-ee] /ˈhyu i/ (Show IPA), 1893–1935, U.S. politician: governor of Louisiana 1928–31; U.S. senator 1931–35.
3.
Russell B(illiu) [bil-yoo] /ˈbɪl yu/ (Show IPA), 1918–2003, U.S. lawyer and politician: U.S. senator 1948–87 (son of Huey Long).
4.
Stephen Harriman, 1784–1864, U.S. army officer and explorer.

long.

1.
longitude.
Examples from the web for long
  • The aloofness she cultivated extended to her personal life, about which biographers have long speculated.
  • Our approach to holiday leftovers could help us eat better all year long.
  • Giant marine reptiles called plesiosaurs used their long necks to hunt for food on the seabed, newly found fossils suggest.
  • Genes control to a great extent how long an organism can live.
  • Not long ago, publishing and other media businesses mostly aimed to sell blockbusters.
  • Indeterminate tomatoes flower and fruit over a long season, and plants keep growing larger until cool weather shuts them down.
  • Most people think there is no chance for a long distance relationship to work.
  • In the last few years, the list of corruption convictions is depressingly long.
  • Ultrasound has, of course, long been used in medical imaging.
  • Giraffes are the world's tallest mammals, thanks to their towering legs and long necks.
British Dictionary definitions for long

long1

/lɒŋ/
adjective
1.
having relatively great extent in space on a horizontal plane
2.
having relatively great duration in time
3.
  1. (postpositive) of a specified number of units in extent or duration: three hours long
  2. (in combination): a two-foot-long line
4.
having or consisting of a relatively large number of items or parts: a long list
5.
having greater than the average or expected range: a long memory
6.
being the longer or longest of alternatives: the long way to the bank
7.
having more than the average or usual quantity, extent, or duration: a long match
8.
seeming to occupy a greater time than is really so: she spent a long afternoon waiting in the departure lounge
9.
intense or thorough (esp in the phrase a long look)
10.
(of drinks) containing a large quantity of nonalcoholic beverage
11.
(of a garment) reaching to the wearer's ankles
12.
(informal) (foll by on) plentifully supplied or endowed (with): long on good ideas
13.
(phonetics, of a speech sound, esp a vowel)
  1. of relatively considerable duration
  2. classified as long, as distinguished from the quality of other vowels
  3. (in popular usage) denoting the qualities of the five English vowels in such words as mate, mete, mite, moat, moot, and mute
14.
from end to end; lengthwise
15.
unlikely to win, happen, succeed, etc: a long chance
16.
(prosody)
  1. denoting a vowel of relatively great duration or (esp in classical verse) followed by more than one consonant
  2. denoting a syllable containing such a vowel
  3. (in verse that is not quantitative) carrying the emphasis or ictus
17.
(finance) having or characterized by large holdings of securities or commodities in anticipation of rising prices: a long position
18.
(cricket) (of a fielding position) near the boundary: long leg
19.
(informal) (of people) tall and slender
20.
in the long run, See run (sense 82)
21.
(informal) long in the tooth, old or ageing
adverb
22.
for a certain time or period: how long will it last?
23.
for or during an extensive period of time: long into the next year
24.
at a distant time; quite a bit of time: long before I met you, long ago
25.
(finance) into a position with more security or commodity holdings than are required by sale contracts and therefore dependent on rising prices for profit: to go long
26.
as long as, so long as
  1. for or during just the length of time that
  2. inasmuch as; since
  3. provided that; if
27.
no longer, not any more; formerly but not now
noun
28.
a long time (esp in the phrase for long)
29.
a relatively long thing, such as a signal in Morse code
30.
a clothing size for tall people, esp in trousers
31.
(phonetics) a long vowel or syllable
32.
(finance) a person with large holdings of a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in its price; bull
33.
(music) a note common in medieval music but now obsolete, having the time value of two breves
34.
before long, soon
35.
the long and the short of it, the essential points or facts
See also longs
Word Origin
Old English lang; related to Old High German lang, Old Norse langr, Latin longus

long2

/lɒŋ/
verb
1.
(intransitive; foll by for or an infinitive) to have a strong desire
Word Origin
Old English langian; related to long1

long3

/lɒŋ/
verb
1.
(intransitive) (archaic) to belong, appertain, or be appropriate
Word Origin
Old English langian to belong, from gelang at hand, belonging to; compare along

long4

abbreviation
1.
longitude

Long

/lɒŋ/
noun
1.
Crawford Williamson. 1815–78, US surgeon. He was the first to use ether as an anaesthetic
Word Origin and History for long
adj.

"that extends considerably from end to end," Old English lang "long," from Proto-Germanic *langgaz (cf. Old Frisian and Old Saxon lang, Old High German and German lang, Old Norse langr, Middle Dutch lanc, Dutch lang, Gothic laggs "long").

The Germanic words are perhaps from PIE *dlonghos- (cf. Latin longus, Old Persian darga-, Persian dirang, Sanskrit dirghah, Greek dolikhos "long," Greek endelekhes "perpetual," Latin indulgere "to indulge"), from root *del- "long."

The adverb is from Old English lange, longe, from the adjective. No longer "not as formerly" is from c.1300; to be not long for this world "soon to die" is from 1714.

The word illustrates the Old English tendency for short "a" to become short "o" before -n- (also retained in bond/band and West Midlands dialectal lond from land and hond from hand).

Long vowels (c.1000) originally were pronounced for an extended time. Sporting long ball is from 1744, originally in cricket. Long jump as a sporting event is attested from 1864. A ship's long-boat so called from 1510s. Long knives, name Native Americans gave to white settlers (originally in Virginia/Kentucky) is from 1774. Long in the tooth (1841 of persons) is from horses showing age by recession of gums. Long time no see, imitative of American Indian speech, is first recorded 1900. To be long on something, "have a lot" of it, is from 1900, American English slang.

v.

Old English langian "to yearn after, grieve for," literally "to grow long, lengthen," from Proto-Germanic *langojanan (see long (adj.)). Cognate with Old Norse langa, Old Saxon langon, Middle Dutch langhen, Old High German langen "to long," German verlangen "to desire." Related: Longed; longing.

long in Medicine

Long (lông), Crawford Williamson. 1815-1878.

American surgeon and pioneer anesthetist who was among the first (1842) to use ether as an anesthetic.

Related Abbreviations for long

long.

longitude

Long.

Longford
Idioms and Phrases with long

long

also see:
also see under:
longer
Encyclopedia Article for long

(Chinese: "dragon"), in Chinese mythology, a type of majestic beast that dwells in rivers, lakes, and oceans and roams the skies. Originally a rain divinity, the Chinese dragon, unlike its malevolent European counterpart (see dragon), is associated with heavenly beneficence and fecundity. Rain rituals as early as the 6th century BC involved a dragon image animated by a procession of dancers; similar dances are still practiced in traditional Chinese communities to secure good fortune.

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