Definition of long

What does the word long mean?

• part of speech: verb intransitive

  Yearn, wish vehemently, for thing or to do. Hence longing (1) n., longingly adv. [old English]

• part of speech: noun

  L. Acre, London street formerly the head-quarters of coach building.

• part of speech: adverb

  For a l. time (have l. thought so; nor wants that little l.; so or as l. as transf., provided that, if only; be l. doing, &, prob. by confusion of the adv. w. the adj., in doing, take a l. time, be slow, to do, as he was l. finding it out, the chance was l. in coming; not be l. for this world, have short time to live; l.-liver, one who lives l.); by a l. time (l. before, after, since, ago); (appended to nn. of duration) throughout specified time (all day l., his life l.); (comp., with no, any, much, &c.) after implied point of time (shall not wait any longer; no longer, not benceforth as formerly); l.-ago a. & n., (belonging to) the distant past; l.-drawn (-out), unduly prolonged; l.-standing, that has l. existed; l.-suffering n. & a., bearing provocation patiently. [old English]

• part of speech: adjective, noun

  Measuring much from end to end in space or time (l. line, distance, journey; l. life, whence longlived a; make a l. arm, reach out for something esp. at table; has a l. arm, can make his power felt far; l. face, dismal; l. head, of more than average length, fig. shrewdness or foresight, whence longheaded a., longheadedness n., lit. & fig.; make a l. nose, cock snook; l. tongue, loquacity; two &c. l. miles &c., more than that; by a l. chalk; grievance &c. of l. standing, not recent); (prefixed to name; colloq.) tall (L. Tom, gun of great length or range); far-reaching, acting at a distance, involving great interval or difference, (l. sight, that sees distant objects, fig. penetretion, whence long-sighted a., long-sightedness n., lit. & fig.; little pitchers have l. ears; take l. views, consider remote effects; l. odds in betting, very uneven; l. bowls, fighting at l. range, opp. close quarters; l. date, distant date for maturing of bill &c., whence long-dated a.; l. waist in dress, made far down); (usu. appended to measurement) having specified length or duration (tail 6 in. l.; vacation is two months l.; as BROAD as it is l.); of elongated shape; remarkable for or distinguished by or concerned with length or duration (l. clay, churchwarden pipe; l. division; l. ears, stupidity as of ass, whence longeared a.; l. finger, the second; l. jump, measured along ground, opp. high jump; l. measure, miles, yards, inches, &c.; l. metre, hymn-stanza of four eight-syllable lines; Latin Parliament, that elected 1640& dissolved 1660; l. primer; l. robe, legal attire, esp. gentlemen of the l. r., lawyers; in the l. run, in the end after vicissitudes; l. service, system of military enlistment for many e.g. 12 years; l. vacation, summer vacation of law-courts& universities; l. WHIST; l. wind, capacity for running far without rest, or fig. for talking or writing at tedious length, whence long-winded a., long-windedness n.); expressed by many ciphers or consisting of many individuals (l. figure or price, heavy cost; l. family, of many children; l. bill, of many items; l. suit, many cards of one suit in a hand); lengthy, prolix, tedious; of more than the usual numerical amount (l. DOZEN HUNDRED); lasting, going far back or forward, (a l. custom, memory, farewell); (phonet., Pros.; of vowel or syllable) (prop.) having the greater of the two recognized durations, (pop.) stressed, (also, of vowel) having the pronunciation shown in its name (e.g., pate& lucre have long, pat& put or but short a& u); l.-bill, kinds of bird, esp. snipe; l.-boat, sailing-ship\'s largest boat (cf. LAUNCH); l.-bow, drawn by hand& discharging long feathered arrow (cf. CROSS-BOW), draw the l.-b., tell exaggerated or invented stories; l.-butt, cue for reaching billiard-ball beyond range of half-butt; l.-cloth, kind of calico made in l. pieces; l.-clothes, & archaic -coats, clothes of baby in arms; l. field, l. off or on (see below), also part of ground behind bowler; l. firm; longhand, ordinary writing (opp. shorthand); l. hop, short-pitched ball in cricket; l. off, on, man fielding at bowler\'s left, right, rear; l.-pig, sailors\' transl. of cannibals\' name for human flesh; longshanks, stilt or long-legged plover; longstop, man fielding straight behind wicketkeeper, (vb) field here; hence longish (2) a., longways, longwise, advv. (N. orabs. adj.) l. interval or period (shall see you be fore l.; shall not be away for l.; will not take l.; it is l. since I saw him; so at longest, to mention the most distant date possible); recital at length (the l. & the short of it, all that can or need be said, the total upshot); l. syllable (ll. & shorts, verse esp. Latin); (Arch.) ll. & shorts, l. & short blocks placed alternately; =l. vacation. [old English]