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Belonging

 - 5 dictionary results

be⋅long⋅ing

  [bi-lawng-ing, -long-]
Use Belonging in a Sentence
–noun
1. something that belongs.
2. belongings, possessions; goods; personal effects.
Origin:
1595–1605; belong + -ing 1

be⋅long

  [bi-lawng, -long]
–verb (used without object)
1. to be in the relation of a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc. (usually fol. by to): He belongs to the Knights of Columbus.
2. to have the proper qualifications, esp. social qualifications, to be a member of a group: You don't belong in this club.
3. to be proper or due; be properly or appropriately placed, situated, etc.: Books belong in every home. This belongs on the shelf. He is a statesman who belongs among the great.
—Verb phrase
4. belong to,
a. to be the property of: The book belongs to her.
b. to be a part or adjunct of: That cover belongs to this jar.
Origin:
1300–50; ME belongen, equiv. to be- be- + longen to belong, v. deriv. of long (adj.) belonging, OE gelang along1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Belonging
be·long   (bĭ-lông', -lŏng')   
intr.v.   be·longed, be·long·ing, be·longs

    1. To be proper, appropriate, or suitable: A napkin belongs at every place setting.

    2. To be in an appropriate situation or environment: That plant belongs outdoors.

    3. To be a member of a group, such as a club.

    4. To fit into a group naturally: No matter what I did, I just didn't belong.

    1. To be a member of a group, such as a club.

    2. To fit into a group naturally: No matter what I did, I just didn't belong.

  3. To have in one's possession. Often used with to: "The earth belongs to the living" (Thomas Jefferson).

  4. To be a part of something else: These blades belong to the food processor.


[Middle English bilongen : probably bi-, be- + longen, to belong (probably from long, dependent, from Old English gelang, along, depending; see del-1 in Indo-European roots).]
be·long·ing   (bĭ-lông'ĭng, -lŏng'-)   
n.  

  1. A personal item that one owns; a possession. Often used in the plural.

  2. Acceptance as a natural member or part: a sense of belonging.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

belong 
1340, "to go along with, relate to," from be- intensive prefix, + O.E. langian "pertain to, to go along with." Sense of "to be the property of" first recorded 1393. Replaced earlier O.E. gelang, with completive prefix ge-. First record of belongings "goods, effects," is from 1817.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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