American Heritage Dictionary Entry: long HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com long 1 (lông, lŏng) Share: Tweet adj. long·er, long·est 1. a. Extending or traveling a relatively great distance. b. Having relatively great height; tall. c. Having the greater length of two or the greatest length of several: the long edge of the door. 2. Of relatively great duration: a long time. 3. Of a specified linear extent or duration: a mile long; an hour long. 4. Made up of many members or items: a long shopping list. 5. a. Extending beyond an average or standard: a long game. b. Extending or landing beyond a given boundary, limit, or goal: Her first serve was long. 6. Tediously protracted; lengthy: a long speech. 7. Concerned with distant issues; far-reaching: took a long view of the geopolitical issues. 8. Involving substantial chance; risky: long odds. 9. Having an abundance or excess of: "politicians whose résumés are long on competence" (Margaret Garrard Warner). 10. Having a holding of a commodity or security in expectation of a rise in price: long on soybeans. 11. a. Linguistics Having a comparatively great duration. Used of a vowel or consonant. b. Grammar Relating to or being the English speech sounds (ā, ē, ī, ō, ) that are tense vowels or diphthongs. 12. Being of relatively great duration. Used of a syllable in quantitative prosody. adv. longer, longest 1. During or for an extended period of time: The promotion was long due. 2. At or to a considerable distance; far: She walked long past the end of the trail. 3. Beyond a given boundary, limit, or goal: hit the return long. 4. For or throughout a specified period: They talked all night long. 5. At a point of time distant from that referred to: That event took place long before we were born. 6. Into or in a long position, as of a commodity market. n. 1. A long time: This won't take long. 2. Linguistics A long syllable, vowel, or consonant. 3. One who acquires holdings in a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in price. 4. a. A garment size for a tall person. b. longs Trousers extending to the feet or ankles.Idioms: any longer For more time: can't wait any longer. before long Soon. long ago 1. At a time or during a period well before the present: I read that book long ago. 2. A time well before the present: heroes of long ago. long in the tooth Growing old. no longer Not now as formerly: He no longer smokes. not long for Unlikely to remain for much more time in: not long for this world. the long and the short of it The substance or gist: You can look on the front page of the paper for the long and the short of it. [Middle English, from Old English lang; see del-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. long 2 (lông, lŏng) Share: Tweet intr.v. longed, long·ing, longs To have an earnest, heartfelt desire, especially for something beyond reach. [Middle English longen, from Old English langian; see del-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. long. Share: Tweet abbr. longitude The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Long (lông, lŏng), Huey Pierce Known as "the Kingfish." 1893-1935. Share: Tweet American politician. As a populist but dictatorial governor of Louisiana (1928-1932) he instituted major public works legislation, and as a US Senator (1932-1935) he proposed a radical program of income redistribution. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 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