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. Extended to any 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."
7. Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in utterance; said of vowels and syllables. See Short, 13, and Manual to Pronunciation, 22.
Long is used as a prefix in a
big number of
compound adjectives which are mostly of obvious importance; as, long-armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long-horned, long-necked, long-sleeved, long-tailed, long- worded, etc. In the
long run, in the
intact rate of things taken together; in the
ultimate result; eventually. Long clam, to
keep stock for a
rise in cost, or to have a
contract under which one can
demand stock on or
till a determined
day at a stipulated cost; opposed to
short in such phrases as, to be
short of stock, to
sell short, etc. See Short. To have a
long head, to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.
Origin: AS. Long, lang;
akin to OS, OFries, D, & G. Lang, Icel. Langr, Sw. Lang, Dan. Lang, Goth. Laggs, L.longus. Cf. Length, Ling a fish, Linger, Lunge, Purloin.
1. To a great extent in apace; 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 till; not
long after;
long till the
foundation of Rome;
long after the Conquest.
4. Through the
intact extent or duration. "The
bird of dawning singeth all
night long." (Shak)
5. Through an extent of time, more or smaller; only in question; as, how
long will you be gone?
Origin: AS. Lance.
Source: Websters Vocabulary