Etymologically
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belong

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /bɪˈlɒŋ/, /bəˈlɒŋ/, US /bɪˈlɑːŋ/, /bɪˈlɔːŋ/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English belongen, formed from be-, an intensive prefix, and longen “to go along with, belong”,[2][3][4][5] from Old English langian “to pertain to”, of uncertain origin but perhaps related to long.[2] Barnhart and NODE base longen on Old English gelang “at hand, dependent on”, which is in Beowulf.[3][6][7] Middle Dutch belanghen and German belangen “to concern” are similar, but no matching Old English verb is found.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To go along with or accompany, and to pertain or relate to: 1340, in the Ayenbite of Inwit.[8][3] Etymonline has the mid-14th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

To be the property of someone and to be a member of a group are from the late 14th century, 1393 in the OED.[2][8] With adverbs, as in it belongs here, it is from 1822.[8] Belongings was first used in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure (1603), for circumstances connected with a person,[3][7] and as possessions from the 19th century.[7]

Timeline

  • 1340 – to go along with, pertain to.[8]
  • 1393 – to be the property of.[8]
  • 1603 – belongings.[3]
  • 1822 – to have a proper place.[8]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. (belong to) To be someone's property.
  2. (belong to) To be a member of a group or organization.
  3. To have a proper or usual place: the books belong on that shelf.
  4. To feel comfortable and accepted in a group or place.

Word family

  • belonger
  • belonging
  • belongingness
  • belongings
  • long

Usage notes

In Durham and Lancashire dialect belong could also mean to own, or to live at or come from a place.[9]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)