Definition long
Etymology 1
From Middle English long, lang, from Old English longe, long, lang (“long, tall, lasting”), 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”), Galician longo (“long”), Spanish luengo (“long”), Latin longus (“long”), Russian дли́нный (dlínnyj). Not a loan from French long, which is an inherited cognate from the exact same form.
Adjective
long (comparative longer, superlative longest)
- 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).
- Having great duration.
- Seemingly lasting a lot of time, because it is boring or tedious or tiring.
- (Britain, dialectal) Not short; tall.
- (finance) Possessing or owning stocks, bonds, commodities or other financial instruments with the aim of benefiting of the expected rise in their value.
- (cricket) Of a fielding position, close to the boundary (or closer to the boundary than the equivalent short position).
- (tennis, of a ball or a shot) Landing beyond the baseline, and therefore deemed to be out.
- Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
Adverb
long (comparative longer, superlative longest)
- Over a great distance in space.
- For a particular duration.
- For a long duration.
Noun
long (plural longs)
- (linguistics) A long vowel.
- (prosody) A long syllable.
- (music) A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
- (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.
- (finance) An entity with a long position in an asset.
- (Britain, colloquial, dated) The long summer vacation at the English universities.
Verb
long (third-person singular simple present longs, present participle longing, simple past and past participle longed)
- (transitive, finance) To take a long position in.
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 *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”).
Verb
long (third-person singular simple present longs, present participle longing, simple past and past participle longed)
- (intransitive) To await, aspire, desire greatly (something to occur or to be true)
Etymology 3
Aphetic form of Old English gelang; the verb later reinterpreted as an aphetic form of belong.
Adjective
long (not comparable)
- (archaic) On account of, because of.
Verb
long (third-person singular simple present longs, present participle longing, simple past and past participle longed)
- (archaic) To be appropriate to, to pertain or belong to.
Etymology 4
Shortening of longitude
Noun
long (plural longs)
- longitude
Etymology 5
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”).
Verb
long (third-person singular simple present longs, present participle longing, simple past and past participle longed)
- (obsolete) To belong.