Definition: long
Source: WordNet (r) 1.7
long
adj 1: primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively
great or greater than average duration or passage of
time or a duration as specified; ; "a long life"; "a
long boring speech"; "a long time"; "a long
friendship"; "a long game"; "long ago"; "an hour long"
[ant: short]
2: primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than
average spatial extension or extension as specified; "a
long road"; "a long distance"; "contained many long
words"; "ten miles long" [ant: short]
3: of relatively great height; "a race of long gaunt men"-
Sherwood Anderson; "looked out the long French windows"
4: (finance) holding securities or commodities in expectation
of a rise in prices; "is long on coffee"; "a long position
in gold" [ant: short]
5: (phonetics) of speech sounds (especially vowels) of
relatively long duration (as e.g. the English vowel sounds
in `bate', `beat', `bite', `boat', `boot') [ant: short]
6: (prosody) used of syllables that are unaccented or of
relatively long duration
7: involving substantial risk; "long odds"
8: (of memory) having greater than average range; "a long
memory especially for insults"; "a tenacious memory" [syn:
tenacious]
9: planning prudently for the future; "large goals that
required farsighted policies"; "took a long view of the
geopolitical issues" [syn: farseeing, farsighted, foresighted,
foresightful, longsighted]
10: having or being more than normal or necessary:"long on
brains"; "in long supply"
n : a comparatively long time; "this won't take long"; "they
haven't been gone long"
adv 1: for an extended time or at a distant time; "a promotion long
overdue"; "something long hoped for"; "his name has
long been forgotten"; "talked all night long"; "how
long will you be gone?"; "arrived long before he was
expected"; "it is long after your bedtime"
2: for an extended distance
v 1: desire strongly or persistently [syn: hanker, yearn]
2: have a yen for [syn: ache, yearn, yen, pine, languish]
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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.
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\, 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\, prep. [Abbreviated fr. along. See 3d Along.] By means of; by the fault of; because of. [Obs.] See Along of, under 3d Along.
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.
Measure \Meas"ure\, n. [OE. mesure, F. mesure, L. mensura, fr. metiri, mensus, to measure; akin to metrum poetical measure, Gr. ?, E. meter. Cf. Immense, Mensuration, Mete to measure.] 1. A standard of dimension; a fixed unit of quantity or extent; an extent or quantity in the fractions or multiples of which anything is estimated and stated; hence, a rule by which anything is adjusted or judged. 2. An instrument by means of which size or quantity is measured, as a graduated line, rod, vessel, or the like. False ells and measures be brought all clean adown. --R. of Gloucester. 3. The dimensions or capacity of anything, reckoned according to some standard; size or extent, determined and stated; estimated extent; as, to take one's measure for a coat. The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. --Job xi. 9. 4. The contents of a vessel by which quantity is measured; a quantity determined by a standard; a stated or limited quantity or amount. It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal. --Luke xiii. 21. 5. Extent or degree not excessive or beyong bounds; moderation; due restraint; esp. in the phrases, in measure; with measure; without or beyond measure. Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure. --Is. v. 14. 6. Determined extent, not to be exceeded; limit; allotted share, as of action, influence, ability, or the like; due proportion. Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days. --Ps. xxxix. 4. 7. The quantity determined by measuring, especially in buying and selling; as, to give good or full measure. 8. Undefined quantity; extent; degree. There is a great measure of discretion to be used in the performance of confession. --Jer. Taylor. 9. Regulated division of movement: (a) (Dancing) A regulated movement corresponding to the time in which the accompanying music is performed; but, especially, a slow and stately dance, like the minuet. (b) (Mus.) (1) The group or grouping of beats, caused by the regular recurrence of accented beats. (2) The space between two bars. See Beat, Triple, Quadruple, Sextuple, Compound time, under Compound, a., and Figure. (c) (Poetry) The manner of ordering and combining the quantities, or long and short syllables; meter; rhythm; hence, a foot; as, a poem in iambic measure. 10. (Arith.) A number which is contained in a given number a number of times without a remainder; as in the phrases, the common measure, the greatest common measure, etc., of two or more numbers. 11. A step or definite part of a progressive course or policy; a means to an end; an act designed for the accomplishment of an object; as, political measures; prudent measures; an inefficient measure. His majesty found what wrong measures he had taken in the conferring that trust, and lamented his error. --Clarendon. 12. The act of measuring; measurement. --Shak. 13. pl. (Geol.) Beds or strata; as, coal measures; lead measures. Lineal, or Long, measure, measure of length; the measure of lines or distances. Liquid measure, the measure of liquids. Square measure, the measure of superficial area of surfaces in square units, as inches, feet, miles, etc. To have hard measure, to have harsh treatment meted out to one; to be harshly or oppressively dealt with. To take measures, to make preparations; to provide means. To take one's measure, to measure one, as for a garment; hence, to form an opinion of one's disposition, character, ability, etc. To tread a measure, to dance in the style so called. See 9 (a) . Say to her, we have measured many miles To tread a measure with her on this grass. --Shak.
