long
1 [lawng, long]
adjective long⋅er [lawng-ger, long-]
, long⋅est [lawng-gist, long-]
, noun, adverb | 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 fol. 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.
|
| 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.
|
| 25. | Ceramics. (of clay) very plastic; fat. |
| 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. |
| 32. | for or through a great extent of space or, esp., time: a reform long advocated. |
| 33. | for or throughout a specified extent, esp. 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. |
| 37. | as long as,
|
| 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. |
bef. 900; (adj.) ME longe, OE lang, long; c. D, G lang, ON langr, Goth langs, L longus; (n.) late ME, deriv. of the adj.; (adv.) ME long(e), lange, OE longe, lange, c. OS, OHG lango

Related forms:
1. lengthy, extensive. 2. protracted, prolonged, extended. 6. overlong, wordy, prolix; tedious, boring.
Long
[lawng, long]
| 1. | Crawford Wil⋅liam⋅son [wil-yuh m-suh n] , 1815–78, U.S. surgeon. |
| 2. | Hu⋅ey Pierce [hyoo-ee] , 1893–1935, U.S. politician: governor of Louisiana 1928–31; U.S. senator 1931–35. |
| 3. | Russell B(il⋅liu) [bil-yoo] , 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.
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Long
Long\, a. [Compar. Longer; superl. Longest.] [AS. long, lang; akin to OS, OFries., D., & G. lang, Icel. langr, Sw. l[*a]ng, Dan. lang, Goth. laggs, L. longus. [root]125. Cf. Length, Ling a fish, Linger, Lunge, Purloin.]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." --Burke. 7. (Phonetics) Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in utterance; -- said of vowels and syllables. See Short, a., 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 22, 30. Note: Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as, long-armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long-horned, long-necked, long-sleeved, long-tailed, long- worded, etc. In the long run, in the whole course of things taken together; in the ultimate result; eventually. Long clam (Zo["o]l.), the common clam (Mya arenaria) of the Northern United States and Canada; -- called also soft-shell clam and long-neck clam. See Mya. Long cloth, a kind of cotton cloth of superior quality. Long clothes, clothes worn by a young infant, extending below the feet. Long division. (Math.) See Division. Long dozen, one more than a dozen; thirteen. Long home, the grave. Long measure, Long mater. See under Measure, Meter. Long Parliament (Eng. Hist.), the Parliament which assembled Nov. 3, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell, April 20, 1653. Long price, the full retail price. Long purple (Bot.), a plant with purple flowers, supposed to be the Orchis mascula. --Dr. Prior. Long suit (Whist), a suit of which one holds originally more than three cards. --R. A. Proctor. Long tom. (a) A pivot gun of great length and range, on the dock of a vessel. (b) A long trough for washing auriferous earth. [Western U.S.] (c) (Zo["o]l.) The long-tailed titmouse. Long wall (Coal Mining), a working in which the whole seam is removed and the roof allowed to fall in, as the work progresses, except where passages are needed. Of long, a long time. [Obs.] --Fairfax. To be, or go, long of the market, To be on the long side of the market, etc. (Stock Exchange), to hold stock for a rise in price, or to have a contract under which one can demand stock on or before a certain day at a stipulated price; -- opposed to short in such phrases as, to be short of stock, to sell short, etc. [Cant] See Short. To have a long head, to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.Long
Long\, n. 1. (Mus.) A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve. 2. (Phonetics) A long sound, syllable, or vowel. 3. The longest dimension; the greatest extent; -- in the phrase, the long and the short of it, that is, the sum and substance of it. --Addison.Long
Long\, adv. [AS. lance.]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 before; not long after; long before the foundation of Rome; long after the Conquest. 4. Through the whole extent or duration. The bird of dawning singeth all night long. --Shak. 5. Through an extent of time, more or less; -- only in question; as, how long will you be gone?Long
Long\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Longed; p. pr. & vb. n. Longing.] [AS. langian to increase, to lengthen, to stretch out the mind after, to long, to crave, to belong to, fr. lang long. See Long, a.]1. To feel a strong or morbid desire or craving; to wish for something with eagerness; -- followed by an infinitive, or by after or for. I long to see you. --Rom. i. 11. I have longed after thy precepts. --Ps. cxix. 40. I have longed for thy salvation. --Ps. cxix. 174. Nicomedes, longing for herrings, was supplied with fresh ones . . . at a great distance from the sea. --Arbuthnot. 2. To belong; -- used with to, unto, or for. [Obs.] The labor which that longeth unto me. --Chaucer.Long
Long\, a. (Finance & Com.) Having a supply of stocks or goods; prepared for, or depending for a profit upon, advance in prices; as, long of cotton. Hence, the phrases: to be, or go, long of the market, to be on the long side of the market, to hold products or securities for a rise in price, esp. when bought on a margin.Cite This Source
long (adj.)
long (v.)
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Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Main Entry: long
Function: adjective
: owning or accumulating securities, goods, or commodities esp. in anticipation of a rise in prices long on wheat> —compare SHORT
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Long (lông), Crawford Williamson. 1815-1878.
American surgeon and pioneer anesthetist who was among the first (1842) to use ether as an anesthetic.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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long
In addition to the idioms beginning with long, also see as long as; at (long) last; before long; come a long way; (long) drawn out; go a long way toward; happy as the day is long; in the long run; make a long story short; so long. Also see under longer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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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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