long short of


1 [lawng, long]
adjective, longer [lawng-ger, long-] , longest [lawng-gist, long-] .
containing many items or units: a long list.
reaching well into the past: a long memory.
having a considerable time to run, as a promissory note.
Chiefly Law. distant or remote in time: a long date.
extending relatively far: a man with a long reach.
being higher or taller than usual: long casement windows.
being against great odds; unlikely: a long chance.
of or pertaining to the larger amount bet.
Ceramics. (of clay) very plastic; fat.
a comparatively long time: They haven't been gone for long. will it take long?
a size of garment for men who are taller than average.
Finance. a person who accumulates or holds stocks or commodities with the expectation of a rise in prices.
Music. longa.
for or through a great extent of space or, especially, time: a reform long advocated.
for or throughout a specified extent, especially of time: How long did he stay?
as long as,
Also, so long as. during the time that; through the period that: As long as we were neighbors, they never invited us inside their house.

before 900; (adj.) Middle English longe, Old English lang, long; cognate with Dutch, German lang, Old Norse langr, Gothic langs, Latin longus; (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the adj.; (adv.) Middle English long(e), lange, Old English longe, lange, cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German lango

longly, adverb
longness, noun

1. lengthy, extensive. 2. protracted, prolonged, extended. 6. overlong, wordy, prolix; tedious, boring.
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World English Dictionary
long1 (lɒŋ)
1.  having relatively great extent in space on a horizontal plane
2.  having relatively great duration in time
3.  a.  (postpositive) of a specified number of units in extent or duration: three hours long
 b.  (in combination): a two-foot-long line
4.  having or consisting of a relatively large number of items or parts: a long list
5.  having greater than the average or expected range: a long memory
6.  being the longer or longest of alternatives: the long way to the bank
7.  having more than the average or usual quantity, extent, or duration: a long match
8.  seeming to occupy a greater time than is really so: she spent a long afternoon waiting in the departure lounge
9.  intense or thorough (esp in the phrase a long look)
10.  (of drinks) containing a large quantity of nonalcoholic beverage
11.  (of a garment) reaching to the wearer's ankles
12.  informal (foll by on) plentifully supplied or endowed (with): long on good ideas
13.  of a speech sound, esp a vowel phonetics
 a.  of relatively considerable duration
 b.  classified as long, as distinguished from the quality of other vowels
14.  from end to end; lengthwise
15.  unlikely to win, happen, succeed, etc: a long chance
16.  prosody
 a.  denoting a vowel of relatively great duration or (esp in classical verse) followed by more than one consonant
 b.  denoting a syllable containing such a vowel
 c.  (in verse that is not quantitative) carrying the emphasis or ictus
17.  finance having or characterized by large holdings of securities or commodities in anticipation of rising prices: a long position
18.  cricket (of a fielding position) near the boundary: long leg
19.  informal (of people) tall and slender
20.  in the long run See run
21.  informal long in the tooth old or ageing
22.  for a certain time or period: how long will it last?
23.  for or during an extensive period of time: long into the next year
24.  at a distant time; quite a bit of time: long before I met you; long ago
25.  finance into a position with more security or commodity holdings than are required by sale contracts and therefore dependent on rising prices for profit: to go long
26.  as long as, so long as
 a.  for or during just the length of time that
 b.  inasmuch as; since
 c.  provided that; if
27.  no longer not any more; formerly but not now
28.  a long time (esp in the phrase for long)
29.  a relatively long thing, such as a signal in Morse code
30.  a clothing size for tall people, esp in trousers
31.  phonetics a long vowel or syllable
32.  finance a person with large holdings of a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in its price; bull
33.  music a note common in medieval music but now obsolete, having the time value of two breves
34.  before long soon
35.  the long and the short of it the essential points or facts
[Old English lang; related to Old High German lang, Old Norse langr, Latin longus]

long2 (lɒŋ)
(intr; foll by for or an infinitive) to have a strong desire
[Old English langian; related to long1]

long3 (lɒŋ)
archaic (intr) to belong, appertain, or be appropriate
[Old English langian to belong, from gelang at hand, belonging to; compare along]

Long1 (lɒŋ)
Crawford Williamson. 1815--78, US surgeon. He was the first to use ether as an anaesthetic

abbreviation for

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

O.E. lang, long, from P.Gmc. *langgaz (cf. O.H.G., Ger. lang, O.N. langr, M.Du. lanc, Goth. laggs "long"), perhaps from PIE *dlonghos- (cf. L. longus, O.Pers. darga-, Pers. dirang, Skt. dirghah, Gk. dolikhos "long," Gk. endelekhes "perpetual," L. indulgere "to indulge"). The adv. is from O.E. lange,
longe, from the adjective. The word illustrates the O.E. tendency for short "a" to become short "o" before -n- (also retained in bond/band and W. Midlands dial. lond from land and hond from hand). Long vowels (c.1000) originally were pronounced for an extended time. Long-playing (phonograph record) is from 1929; abbreviation LP is from 1948. Long-distance in ref. to telephoning is from 1884. Long in the tooth (1852) is from horses showing age by recession of gums. Long run "ultimate outcome" is attested from 1627. Long time no see, imitative of Amer.Indian speech, is first recorded 1900.

O.E. langian "to yearn, to seem long," lit. "to grow long," from P.Gmc. *langojanan (see long (adj.)). Related to O.N. langa, M.Du. langhen, O.H.G. langen, Ger. verlangen "to desire." Related: Longing, longingly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

Long (lông), Crawford Williamson. 1815-1878.

American surgeon and pioneer anesthetist who was among the first (1842) to use ether as an anesthetic.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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