longuement

Forms

longuement^[1] Old French lungament, lungement and longement.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French long + -ment.^[2][5][6][7] Littré analyses it as the feminine longue with the suffix.^[3] long goes back to Latin longus (“long”).^[8]

Cognate with Old Occitan longamen, Portuguese longamente and Italian lungamente.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis, as lungament “for a long time”: Mult lungament ai a lui converset “I have long lived with him”.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

The adverb at first had only its temporal sense, close to longtemps;^[9] it is common in this sense in Old French, in the Chanson de Roland, Villehardouin and Joinville.^[3] From the middle of the 14th century it also means “at length, in detail”, of speech or writing.^[2][9][6]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Lungament appears in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• c. 1100 – The Chanson de Roland has lungement.^[3]
• Mid-14th century – First record of the sense “in detail”.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. For a long time: un plan longuement préparé.^[10][11][6]
2. At length, in detail: elle a longuement décrit son voyage.^[11][6]

Related words

• long
• longtemps
• longueur
• Latin longus

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 415b
8. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
9. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)