LONG, a. [L. longus.]

1. Extended; drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; opposed to short, and contradistinguished from broad or wide. Long is a relative term; for a thing may be long in respect to one thing, and short with respect to another. We apply long to things greatly extended, and to things which exceed the common measure. We say, a long way, a long distance, a long line, and long hair, long arms. By the latter terms, we mean hair and arms exceeding the usual length.
2. Drawn out or extended in time; as, a long time; a long period of time; a long while; a long series of events; a long sickness or confinement; a long session; a long debate.
3. Extended to any certain measure expressed; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, &c.
4. Dilatory; continuing for an extended time. Death will not be long in coming. – Ecclus.
5. Tedious; continued to a great length. A tale should never be too long. – Prior.
6. Continued in a series to a great extent; as, a long succession of princes; a long line of ancestors.
7. Continued in sound; protracted; as, a long note; a long syllable.
8. Continued; lingering or longing. Praying for him, and casting a long look that way, he saw the galley leave the pursuit. – Sidney.
9. Extensive; extending far in prospect or into futurity. The perennial existence of bodies corporate and their fortunes, are things particularly suited to a man who has long views. – Burke. Long home, the grave or death. Eccles. xii.

By means of; by the fault of; owing to. [Obs.] Mistress, all this evil is long of you. – Shak.

1. To a great extent in space; as, a long extended line.
2. To a great extent in time; as, they that tarry long at the wine. Prov. xxiii. When the trumpet soundeth long. Exod. xix. So in composition we say, long-expected, long-forgot.
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 of Gaul by Julius Cesar.
4. Through the whole extent or duration of. The God who fed me all my life long to this day. Gen. xlviii. The bird of dawning singeth all night long. – Spenser.

Formerly, a musical note equal to two breves. [Obs.]

1. To desire earnestly or eagerly. I long to see you. Rom. i. I have longed after thy precepts. Ps. cxix. I have longed for thy salvation. Ps. cxix.
2. To have a preternatural craving appetite; as, a longing woman.
3. To have an eager appetite; as, to long for fruit.

To belong. [Not used.] Chaucer.

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.
   
   

2. A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
3. To a great extent in space; as, a long drawn out line.
4. By means of; by the fault of; because of.
   
   
   [Obs.] See Along of, under 3d Along.
5. 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.

6. 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.
7. Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a long book.
8. A long sound, syllable, or vowel.
9. 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.

10. To belong; -- used with to, unto, or for.
    
    
    [Obs.]

    The labor which that longeth unto me. Chaucer.

11. Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration; lingering; as, long hours of watching.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
    
    

    The we may us reserve both fresh and strong
    Against the tournament, which is not long. Spenser.

15. Through the whole extent or duration.
    
    

    The bird of dawning singeth all night long. Shak.

16. Extended to any specified measure; of a specified length; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
17. Through an extent of time, more or less; - - only in question; as, how long will you be gone?
18. Far-reaching; extensive.
    
    
    " Long views." Burke.
19. Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in utterance; -- said of vowels and syllables. See Short, a., 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 22, 30.
    
    

    * Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as, long- armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long- horned, long-necked, long-sleeved, long- tailed, long- worded, etc.

    In the long run, in the whole course of things taken together; in the ultimate result; eventually. -- Long clam (Zoöl.), the common clam (Mya arenaria) of the Northern United States and Canada; -- called also soft-shell clam and long-neck clam. See Mya. -- Long cloth, a kind of cotton cloth of superior quality. -- Long clothes, clothes worn by a young infant, extending below the feet. -- Long division. (Math.) See Division. -- Long dozen, one more than a dozen; thirteen. -- Long home, the grave. -- Long measure, Long meter. See under Measure, Meter. -- Long Parliament (Eng. Hist.), the Parliament which assembled Nov. 3, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell, April 20, 1653. -- Long price, the full retail price. -- Long purple (Bot.), a plant with purple flowers, supposed to be the Orchis mascula. Dr. Prior. -- Long suit (Whist), a suit of which one holds originally more than three cards. R. A. Proctor. -- Long tom. (a) A pivot gun of great length and range, on the dock of a vessel. (b) A long trough for washing auriferous earth. [Western U.S.] (c) (Zoöl.) The long-tailed titmouse. -- Long wall (Coal Mining), a working in which the whole seam is removed and the roof allowed to fall in, as the work progresses, except where passages are needed. -- Of long, a long time. [Obs.] Fairfax. -- To be, or go, long of the market, To be on the long side of the market, etc. (Stock Exchange), to hold stock for a rise in price, or to have a contract under which one can demand stock on or before a certain day at a stipulated price; -- opposed to short in such phrases as, to be short of stock, to sell short, etc. [Cant] See Short. -- To have a long head, to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.