longus

Forms

longus (feminine longa, neuter longum, comparative longior, superlative longissimus, adverb longē or longiter); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *(d)longo- (“long”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰo- (“long”).^[2][1] Cognate with Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌲𐍃 (laggs, “long”) and the English word long.^[3][1]

Related forms of the same adjective appear as Ancient Greek δολιχός (dolikhós, “long”), Sanskrit दीर्घ (dīrghá, “long”), Old Church Slavonic длъгъ (dlŭgŭ, “long”), Lithuanian ìlgas (“long”) and Hittite talugai- (“long”).^[2] De Vaan notes that it is a major question whether these variants of the root (⟨*dlongʰ-⟩, ⟨*delgʰ-⟩, ⟨*dl̥h₁gʰ-⟩ and others) can all be reconciled.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from the Twelve Tables on.^[2][4] Plautus has homō cum tunicīs longīs, “a man in long tunics”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Longus means “long” in space, of journeys (longa nāvigātiō), with measurements (“so many feet long”), and of persons and trees “tall”.^[3] Nāvis longa is a warship, and Alba Longa the old town of Latium.^[3] It also means “wide, spacious”, “far-reaching” (spēs longa “a far-reaching hope”) and “far off”.^[3]

Of books and speeches it means “long” and “long-winded”; of time “long, lasting”, and of things that seem endless “tedious”;^[3][5] in longum means “for a long time”.^[3][5] The adverb longē means “far, for a long while”.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – Used in the Twelve Tables.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses nāvis longa of a warship.^[3][4]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius: longī … cupressī, “tall cypresses”.^[3][4]
• 65–8 BC – Horace: life's short span forbids us to begin a long hope (spem … longam).^[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. long (in space);^[3][5] nāvis longa, a warship.^[3]
2. Of a given length.^[3]
3. tall.^[3][1]
4. Wide, spacious.^[3][1]
5. Far-reaching.^[3]
6. Far off, distant.^[3][1]
7. (of a book or speech) Long;^[3] long-winded.^[3][1]
8. (of time) Long, lasting;^[3] in longum, for a long time.^[3]
9. Seeming endless, tedious.^[3][1]
10. (of illness, death) Lingering.^[3]

Word family

• delonge
• longanimis
• longiloquium
• longinquus
• longipēs
• longitia
• longitūdō
• longiturnus
• longiusculus
• longulus
• longuriō
• oblongus
• longē

Related words

• longaevitās
• longanimitās
• longanimiter
• longinquē
• longinquitās
• longinquō
• longiturnitās
• longiusculē
• longulē
• English long

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press