*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -long

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos Proto-Germanic *langaz Proto-West Germanic *lang Old English lang Middle English long English long English -long From long.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forms adjectives indicating length or duration when suffixed to nouns.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos Proto-Germanic *langaz Proto-West Germanic *lang Old English lang Middle English long English long English -long From long.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "long",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *dlongʰos\nProto-Germanic *langaz\nProto-West Germanic *lang\nOld English lang\nMiddle English long\nEnglish long\nEnglish -long\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*langaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*lang\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"lang\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"long\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"long\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-long\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-long\">\nFrom long."
    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "long",
        "tree": "1",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *dlongʰos\nProto-Germanic *langaz\nProto-West Germanic *lang\nOld English lang\nMiddle English long\nEnglish long\nEnglish -long\nFrom long."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*dlongʰos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dlongʰos"
    ],
    [
      "*langaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/langaz"
    ],
    [
      "*lang",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/lang"
    ],
    [
      "lang",
      "lang#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "long",
      "long#Middle_English:_length"
    ],
    [
      "long",
      "long#English"
    ],
    [
      "long",
      "long#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Forms adjectives indicating length or duration when suffixed to nouns."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2086874
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -long →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWxvbmc