long¹ / lông; läng/ • adj. (long·er / ˈlônggər; ˈläng-/ , long·est / lônggist; ˈläng-/ ) 1. measuring a great distance from end to end: a long corridor long black hair the line for tickets was long. ∎  (after a measurement and in questions) measuring a specified distance from end to end: a boat 150 feet long how long is the leash? ∎  (of a journey) covering a great distance: I went for a long walk. ∎  (of a garment or sleeves on a garment) covering the whole of a person's legs or arms: a sweater with long sleeves. ∎  of elongated shape: shaped like a torpedo, long and thin. ∎  (of a ball in sports) traveling a great distance, or further than expected or intended: he threw a long ball to the catcher. ∎ inf. (of a person) tall.2. lasting or taking a great amount of time: a long and distinguished career | she took a long time to dress. ∎  (after a noun of duration and in questions) lasting or taking a specified amount of time: the debates will be 90 minutes long. ∎  seeming to last more time than is the case; lengthy or tedious: serving long hours on the committee. ∎  (of a person's memory) retaining things for a great amount of time.3. relatively great in extent: write a long report a long list of candidates. ∎  (after a noun of extent and in questions) having a specified extent: the statement was three pages long.4. Phonet. (of a vowel) categorized as long with regard to quality and length (e.g., in standard American English, the vowel in food is long, as distinct from the short vowel in good). ∎ Prosody (of a vowel or syllable) having the greater of the two recognized durations.5. (of odds or a chance) reflecting or representing a low level of probability: winning against long odds you're taking a long chance.6. Finance (of shares, bonds, or other assets) bought in advance, with the expectation of a rise in price. ∎  (of a broker or their position in the market) buying or based on long stocks. ∎  (of a security) maturing at a distant date.7. (long on) inf. well-supplied with: an industry that seems long on ideas but short on cash.• n. 1. a long interval or period: see you before long it will not be for long.2. a long sound such as a long signal in Morse code or a long vowel or syllable: two longs and a short.3. (longs) Finance long-dated securities, esp. gilt-edged securities. ∎  assets held in a long position.• adv. (longer; longest) 1. for a long time: we hadn't known them long an experience they will long remember his long-awaited Grand Prix debut. ∎  in questions about a period of time: how long have you been working? ∎  at a time distant from a specified event or point of time: it was abandoned long ago the work was compiled long after his death. ∎  after an implied point of time: he could not wait any longer. ∎  (after a noun of duration) throughout a specified period of time: it rained all day long.2. (with reference to the ball in sports) at, to, or over a great distance, or further than expected or intended: the quarterback dropped back and threw the ball long. ∎  beyond the point aimed at; too far: he threw the ball long.PHRASES: as (or so) long as1. during the whole time that: they have been there as long as anyone can remember.2. provided that: as long as you fed him, he would be cooperative.be long take a long time to happen or arrive: it won't be long before you're hooked sit down, tea won't be long.in the long run over or after a long period of time; eventually: it saves money in the long run.the long and the short of it all that can or need be said: the long and short of it is that he got himself mugged.long in the tooth rather old.long time no see inf. it's a long time since we last met (used as a greeting).not by a long shot by no means: we're not there yet, not by a long shot.take the long view think beyond the current situation; plan for the future.DERIVATIVES: long·ish adj.long² • v. [intr.] have a strong wish or desire: she longed for a little more excitement | we are longing to see the new baby.

long it is a long long lane that has no turning commonly used as an assertion that an unfavourable situation will eventually change for the better; proverbial saying, mid 19th century.
long and lazy, little and loud; fat and fulsome, pretty and proud categorizing supposed physical and temperamental characteristics in women; proverbial saying, late 16th century.
long foretold, long last; short notice, soon past proverbial saying, mid 19th century; a weather saying, meaning that if there is a long gap between the signs that the weather will change and the change itself, then the predicted weather will last a long time. If the intervening period is a short one, then the predicted weather will be of correspondingly short duration.
Long John Silver the one-legged pirate who is the anti-hero of Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883).
Long March the epic withdrawal of the Chinese communists from SE to NW China in 1934–5, over a distance of 9,600 km (6,000 miles). 100,000 people, led by Mao Zedong, left the communist rural base (the Jiangxi Soviet) after it was almost destroyed by the Kuomintang; 20,000 people survived the journey to reach Yan'an in Shaanxi province.
Long Parliament the English Parliament which sat from November 1640 to March 1653, was restored for a short time in 1659, and finally voted its own dissolution in 1660. It was summoned by Charles I and sat through the English Civil War and on into the interregnum which followed.
long pig a translation of a term formerly used in some Pacific Islands for human flesh as food.

See also art is long, he lives long who lives well, longest, love me little, love me long at love2, never is a long time, night of the long knives, old sins cast long shadows, short reckonings make long friends.

long2 †
A. grow long OE.;

B. (impers.) arouse desire in OE.; have a yearning desire XIII. OE. langian = OS. langon (MDu. langen seem long, desire, extend, offer, Du. langen offer, present), OHG. langēn impers. (G. langen reach, extend, suffice), ON. langa impers. and pers. desire, long :- Gmc. *laŋgōjan, *-ǣjan, f. *laŋgaz LONG1.

long1 great from end to end. OE. lang, long = OS. (Du.), (O)HG. lang, ON. langr, Goth. laggs :- Gmc. *laŋgaz. The nature of the relation with L. longus, Ir. long long, and Gaulish longo- (in a proper name) is disputed.