Online Etymology Dictionary

long (adj.): O.E. lang, long, from P.Gmc. *langgaz (cf. O.H.G., Ger. lang, O.N. langr, M.Du. lanc, Goth. laggs "long"), perhaps from PIE *dlonghos- (cf. L. longus, O.Pers. darga-, Pers. dirang, Skt. dirghah, Gk. dolikhos "long," Gk. endelekhes "perpetual," L. indulgere "to indulge"). The adv. is from O.E. lange, longe, from the adjective. The word illustrates the O.E. tendency for short "a" to become short "o" before -n- (also retained in bond/band and W. Midlands dial. lond from land and hond from hand). Long vowels (c.1000) originally were pronounced for an extended time. Long-playing (phonograph record) is from 1929; abbreviation LP is from 1948. Long-distance in ref. to telephoning is from 1884. Long in the tooth (1852) is from horses showing age by recession of gums. Long run "ultimate outcome" is attested from 1627. Long time no see, imitative of Amer.Indian speech, is first recorded 1900.
longtime: also long-time, 1580s, from long (adj.) + time.
time (n.): O.E. tima "limited space of time," from P.Gmc. *timon "time" (cf. O.N. timi "time, proper time," Swed. timme "an hour"), from PIE *di-mon-, from base *da- "cut up, divide" (see tide). Abstract sense of "time as an indefinite continuous duration" is recorded from 1388. Personified since at least 1509 as an aged bald man (but with a forelock) carrying a scythe and an hour-glass. In English, a single word encompasses time as "extent" and "point" (Fr. temps/fois, Ger. zeit/mal) as well as "hour" (e.g. "what time is it?" cf. Fr. heure, Ger. Uhr). Extended senses such as "occasion," "the right time," "leisure," or times (v.) "multiplied by" developed in O.E. and M.E., probably as a natural outgrowth of phrases like, "He commends her a hundred times to God" (O.Fr. La comande a Deu cent foiz).
"to have a good time ( = a time of enjoyment) was common in Eng. from c 1520 to c 1688; it was app. retained in America, whence readopted in Britain in 19th c." [OED]
Time of day (now mainly preserved in negation, i.e. what someone won't give you if he doesn't like you) was a popular 17c. salutation (e.g. "Good time of day vnto your Royall Grace," "Richard III," I.iii.18). Times as the name of a newspaper dates from 1788. Time warp first attested 1954; time capsule first recorded 1938, in ref. to New York World's Fair; time-travelling in the science fiction sense first recorded 1895 in H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine." To do time "serve a prison sentence" is from 1865. Time-honored is from 1593; time-worn is first attested 1729; time-keeper is from 1686; timeless "eternal" is 1628, earlier it meant "ill-timed" (1560). Time-limit is from 1880; time out in football is recorded from 1896. About time, ironically for "long past due time," is recorded from 1920. First record of timetable is attested from 1838, originally of railway trains. Behind the times "old-fashioned" is recorded from 1846, first attested in Dickens.
time (v.): O.E. getimian "to happen, befall," from time (n.). Meaning "to appoint a time" (of an action, etc.) is attested from c.1300; sense of "to record the time of" (a race, event, etc.) is first attested 1670.
crony: 1660s, Cambridge student slang, probably from Gk. khronios "long-lasting," from khronos "time," and with a sense of "old friend," or "contemporary."
age: c.1300, "long but indefinite period in human history," from O.Fr. aage, from V.L. *aetaticum (cf. Sp. edad, It. eta, Port. idade "age"), from L. aetatem (nom. aetas), "period of life," from aevum "lifetime, eternity, age," from PIE base *aiw- "vital force, life, long life, eternity" (see eon). Meaning "time something has lived, particular length or stage of life" is from early 14c. Used especially for "old age" since mid-14c. Expelled native eld. The verb meaning "to grow old" is from late 14c. Age-group attested from 1904, originally a term in the science of demographics.
lunge: 1735, "a thrust with a sword," originally a fencing term, shortened from allonge, from Fr. allonger "to extend, thrust," from O.Fr. alongier "to lengthen, make long," from à "to" + O.Fr. long, from L. longus "long" (see long (adj.)). The verb is attested from 1809; the sense of "to make a sudden forward rush" is from 1821.
synchronous: 1669, "existing or happening at the same time," from L.L. synchronus "simultaneous," from Gk. synchronos "happening at the same time," from syn- "together" + khronos "time." Meaning "recurring at the same successive instants of time" is attested from 1677.
two-time (v.): "to deceive, cheat, betray," 1924, perhaps from notion of "to have two at a time."
tide: O.E. tid "point or portion of time, due time," from P.Gmc. *tidiz "division of time" (cf. O.S. tid, Du. tijd, O.H.G. zit, Ger. Zeit "time"), from PIE *di-ti- "division, division of time," suffixed form of base *da- "to divide, cut up" (cf. Skt. dati "cuts, divides;" Gk. demos "people, land," perhaps lit. "division of society;" daiesthai "to divide;" O.Ir. dam "troop, company"). Meaning "rise and fall of the sea" (1340) is probably via notion of "fixed time," specifically "time of high water;" either a native evolution or from M.L.G. getide (cf. also Du. tij, Ger. Gezeiten "flood tide"). O.E. had no specific word for this, using flod and ebba to refer to the rise and fall. The verb meaning "to carry (as the tide does)" is recorded from 1626, usually with over.
meal (1): "food, time for eating," O.E. mæl "fixed time, a measure, meal," from P.Gmc. *mæla- (cf. Du. maal "time, meal," O.N. mal "measure, time, meal," Ger. Mal "time," Goth. mel "time, hour"), from PIE base *me- "to measure" (see meter (2)). Probably related to O.E. mæð "measure." Original sense of "time" is preserved in piecemeal; once a more common suffix, e.g. O.E. styccemælum "bit by bit," gearmælum "year by year." Meals-on-wheels attested from 1961. Meal ticket first attested 1870 in lit. sense of "ticket of admission to a dining hall;" fig. sense of "source of income or livelihood" is from 1899.
temporal: mid-14c., "worldly, secular," later "of time, terrestrial, earthly" (late 14c.), "temporary, lasting only for a time" (late 14c.), from O.Fr. temporal, from L. temporalis "of time, temporary," from tempus (gen. temporis) "time, season, proper time or season." Related: Temporality.
contemporary: 1630s, from M.L. contemporarius, from L. con- "with" + temporarius "of time," from tempus "time" (see temper). Meaning "modern, characteristic of the present" is from 1866. Noun sense of "one who lives at the same time as another" is from 1630s, replacing native time-fellow (1570s).
temporary (adj.): 1547, from L. temporarius "of seasonal character, lasting a short time," from tempus (gen. temporis) "time, season." The noun meaning "person employed only for a time" is recorded from 1848.
long (v.): O.E. langian "to yearn, to seem long," lit. "to grow long," from P.Gmc. *langojanan (see long (adj.)). Related to O.N. langa, M.Du. langhen, O.H.G. langen, Ger. verlangen "to desire." Related: Longing, longingly.
to: O.E. to "in the direction of, for the purpose of, furthermore," from W.Gmc. *to (cf. O.S., O.Fris. to, Du. too, O.H.G. zuo, Ger. zu "to"), from PIE pronomial base *do- "to, toward, upward" (cf. L. donec "as long as," O.C.S. do "as far as, to," Gk. suffix -de "to, toward," O.Ir. do, Lith. da-). In O.E., the preposition (go to town) leveled with the adverb (the door slammed to) except where the adverb retained its stress (tired and hungry too); there it came to be written with -oo (see too). The nearly universal use of to with infinitives (to sleep, to dream, etc.) arose in M.E. out of the O.E. dative use of to, and helped drive out the O.E. inflectional endings (though in this use to itself is a mere sign, without meaning). Commonly used as a prefix in M.E. (to-hear "listen to," etc.), but few of these survive (to-do, together, and time references like today, tonight, tomorrow -- Chaucer also has to-yeere). To and fro "side to side" is attested from 1340. Phrase what's it to you "how does that concern you?" goes back a long way:
"Huæd is ðec ðæs?"
[John xxi.22, in Lindisfarne Gospel, c.950]
doodle (v.): "scrawl aimlessly," 1935, from dial. doodle, dudle "fritter away time, trifle." It was a noun meaning "simple fellow" from 1620s.
LONGFELLOW: That's a name we made up back home for people who make foolish designs on paper when they're thinking. It's called doodling. Almost everybody's a doodler. Did you ever see a scratch pad in a telephone booth? People draw the most idiotic pictures when they're thinking. Dr. Von Holler, here, could probably think up a long name for it, because he doodles all the time. ["Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," screenplay by Robert Riskin, 1936; based on "Opera Hat," serialized in "American Magazine" beginning May 1935, by Clarence Aldington Kelland]
Related: Doodling. Doodle-bug "type of beetle or larvae" is c.1866, Southern U.S. dialect; the same word was applied 1944 in R.A.F. slang to German V-model flying bombs.
timely: late O.E. (adv.), from time (n.). As an adj. meaning "occurring at a suitable time" it is attested from c.1200.
longevity: 1615, from L.L. longævitas "great age, long life," from L. longævus "long-lived," from longus "long" (adj.) + ævum "lifetime, age."
macro-: comb. form meaning "long," from Gk. makros "long, large," from PIE base *mak-/*mek- "long, thin" (cf. L. macer "lean, thin;" O.N. magr, O.E. mæger "lean, thin;" Gk. mekos "length," makros "long").
temporize: 1555 (implied in temporizer), from M.Fr. temporiser "to pass one's time, wait one's time" (14c.), from M.L. temporizare "pass time," perhaps via V.L. *temporare "to delay," from L. tempus (gen. temporis) "time."
rigmarole: 1736, "a long, rambling discourse," from an altered, Kentish colloquial survival of ragman roll "long list or catalogue" (1523), in M.E. a long roll of verses descriptive of personal characters, used in a medieval game of chance called Rageman, perhaps from Anglo-Fr. Ragemon le bon "Ragemon the good," which was the heading on one set of the verses, referring to a character by that name. Sense transferred to "foolish activity or commotion" c.1955, but known orally from 1930s.
anachronism: 1640s, "an error in computing time or finding dates," from L. anachronismus, from Gk. anachronismos, from anachronizein "refer to wrong time," from ana- "against" + khronos "time." Meaning "something out of harmony with the present" first recorded 1816. Related: Anachronistic (1775).
oblong: c.1420, from L. oblongus originally "somewhat long," from ob "to, toward" + longus "long" (see long (adj.)).
paleo-: prefix used in scientific combinations (mostly since c.1870), from Gk. palaio-, comb. form of palaios "old, ancient," from palai "long ago, far back," related to palin "again, backwards," tele- "far off, at a distance," from PIE base *kwel- "to turn, move about," also "far" (in space and time); see cycle.
synchronize: c.1624, "to occur at the same time," from Gk. synchronizein "be of the same time," from synchronos "happening at the same time" (see synchronous). The sense of "make synchronous" is first recorded 1806. Synchronized swimming is recorded from 1950.
side: O.E. side "flanks of a person, the long part or aspect of anything," from P.Gmc. *sithon (cf. O.S. sida, O.N. siða, M.Du. side, O.H.G. sita, Ger. Seite), from adj. *sithas "long" (cf. O.E. sid "long, broad, spacious," O.N. siðr "long, hanging down"), from PIE base *se- "long, late" (cf. L. serus "late," Lith. sietuva "deep place in a river," M.Ir. sith, M.Breton hir "long"). Original sense preserved in countryside. Fig. sense of "position or attitude of a person or set of persons in relation to another" (cf. choosing sides) first recorded mid-13c. Meaning "music on one side of a phonograph record" is first attested 1936. Phrase side by side "close together and abreast" is recorded from c.1200. Restaurant phrase on the side "apart from the main dish" is attested from 1884, Amer.Eng. Side-splitting "funny" is first attested 1860. Sidebar "secondary article in a newspaper" is recorded from 1948. Sideman "supporting musician" is first attested 1936. Sideboard "table placed near the side of a room" is from c.1300.
sleeper: early 13c., "one who sleeps, one who is inclined to sleep much," agent noun of sleep (v.). Meaning "railroad sleeping car" is from 1875. Sense of "something whose importance proves to be greater than expected" first attested 1892, originally in Amer.Eng,. sports jargon, probably from earlier gambling slang (1856) sense of "unexpected winning card." Meaning "spy, enemy agent, etc. who remains undercover for a long time before attempting his purpose" first attested 1955, originally in ref. to communist agents in the West.
period: 1413, "course or extent of time," from M.L. periodus "recurring portion, cycle," from L. periodus "a complete sentence," also "cycle of the Greek games," from Gk. periodos "rounded sentence, cycle, circuit, period of time," lit. "going around," from peri- "around" + hodos "a going, way, journey" (see cede). Sense of "repeated cycle of events" led to that of "interval of time." Meaning "dot marking end of a sentence" first recorded 1609, from similar use in M.L. Sense of "menstruation" dates from 1822. Educational sense of "portion of time set apart for a lesson" is from 1876. Sporting sense attested from 1898.
stole: O.E. stole "long robe, scarf-like garment worn by clergymen," from L. stola "robe, vestment," from Gk. stole "a long robe;" originally "garment, equipment," from root of stellein "to place, array," from PIE *stel- (see stolid). Meaning "women's long garment of fur or feathers" is attested from 1889.
while (n.): O.E. hwile, acc. of hwil "a space of time," from P.Gmc. *khwilo (cf. O.S. hwil, O.Fris. hwile, O.H.G. hwila, Ger. Weile, Goth. hveila "space of time, while"), originally "rest" (cf. O.N. hvila "bed," hvild "rest"), from PIE *qwi- "rest" (cf. Avestan shaitish "joy," O.Pers. šiyatish "joy," L. quies "rest, repose, quiet," O.C.S. po-koji "rest"). Notion of "period of rest" became in Gmc. "period of time." Now largely superseded by time except in formulaic constructions (e.g. all the while). M.E. sense of "time spent in doing something" now only preserved in worthwhile and phrases such as worth (one's) while. As a conjunction (late O.E.), it represents O.E. þa hwile þe; form whiles is recorded from c.1220; whilst is from c.1375, with excrescent -st as in amongst, amidst (see amid).
extempore: 1550s (adv.), 1630s (n.), from L. phrase ex tempore "offhand, in accordance with (the needs of) the moment," lit. "out of time," from ex- "out of" + tempore, abl. of tempus (gen. temporis) "time." Of speaking, strictly "without preparation, without time to prepare," but now often with a sense merely of "without notes or a teleprompter." Related: Extemporize (1717) "to speak ex tempore;" extemporizing.
epoch: 1610s, "point marking the start of a new period in time" (e.g. the founding of Rome, the birth of Christ, the Hegira), from M.L. epocha, from Gk. epokhe "stoppage, fixed point of time," from epekhein "to pause, take up a position," from epi- "on" + ekhein "to hold." Transferred sense of "a period of time" is 1620s; geological usage (not a precise measurement) is from 1802. Related: Epochal.
tense (n.): "form of a verb showing time of an action or state," early 14c., tens "time," also "tense of a verb" (late 14c.), from O.Fr. tens "time" (11c.), from L. tempus (see temporal).
punk (2): "worthless person" (especially a young hoodlum), 1917, probably from punk kid "criminal's apprentice," underworld slang first attested 1904 (with overtones of "catamite"). Ultimately from punk "prostitute, harlot, strumpet," first recorded 1596, of unknown origin. For sense shift from "harlot" to "homosexual," cf. gay. By 1923 used generally for "young boy, inexperienced person" (originally in show business, e.g. punk day, circus slang from 1930, "day when children are admitted free"). The verb meaning "to back out of" is from 1920. The "young criminal" sense is no doubt the inspiration in punk rock first attested 1971 (in a Dave Marsh article in "Creem"), popularized 1976.
"If you looked different, people tried to intimidate you all the time. It was the same kind of crap you had to put up with as a hippie, when people started growing long hair. Only now it was the guys with the long hair yelling at you. You think they would have learned something. I had this extreme parrot red hair and I got hassled so much I carried a sign that said 'FUCK YOU ASSHOLE.' I got so tired of yelling it, I would just hold up the sign." [Bobby Startup, Philadelphia punk DJ, "Philadelphia Weekly," Oct. 10, 2001]
aye (2): "always, ever," c.1200, from O.N. ei "ever" (cognate with O.E. a "always, ever"), from PIE *aiw- "vital force, life, long life, eternity" (cf. Gk. aion "age, eternity," L. aevum "space of time;" see eon).
overtime: "time above the regular hours of work," 1846, from over + time. Sporting sense first attested 1921, in an ice hockey context.
time-sharing: 1953, as a computing term, from time (n.) + share. In real estate, as an arrangement in property use, it is recorded from 1976.
long-winded: "given to lengthy speeches," 1580s, from long (adj.) + wind (n.).
long shot: in the figurative sense of "something unlikely," 1867, from long + shot. The notion is of a shot at a target from a great distance, thus difficult to make.
month: O.E. monað, from P.Gmc. *mænoth- (O.N. manaðr, M.Du. manet, Du. maand, O.H.G. manod, Ger. Monat, Goth. menoþs "month"), related to *mænon- "moon" (see moon). Its cognates mean only "month" in the Romance languages, but in Gmc. generally continue to do double duty. Phrase a month of Sundays "a very long time" is from 1832 (roughly 7 and a half months, but never used literally).
longbow: also long-bow, the characteristic medieval English weapon, c.1500, from long (adj.) + bow (n.1).
long-headed: "discerning," c.1700, from long (adj.) + head.
chrono-: comb. form meaning "time," from Gk. khrono-, from khronos "time."
cherry: 1236, from Anglo-Fr. cherise (taken as a pl.), from O.N.Fr. cherise, from V.L. *ceresia, from late Gk. kerasian "cherry," from Gk. kerasos "cherry tree," possibly from a language of Asia Minor. O.E. had ciris "cherry" from W.Gmc. form of the V.L. word, but it died out after the Norman invasion and was replaced by the French word. Meaning "maidenhead, virginity" is from 1889, U.S. slang, from supposed resemblance to the hymen, but perhaps also from the long-time use of cherries as a symbol of the fleeting quality of life's pleasures. Cherry-pick, in a pejorative sense, first recorded 1972.
fog: 1540s, from Dan. fog "spray, shower, snowdrift," related to O.N. fok "snow flurry." The word meaning "long grass" (c.1300) may be a different word, but the two may connect via a notion of long grass growing in moist dells of northern Europe. Phrase in a fog "at a loss what to do" first recorded c.1600.
fabulous: early 15c., from L. fabulosus "celebrated in fable," from fabula (see fable). From "mythical," sense of "incredible" first recorded c.1600. Slang shortening fab first recorded 1957; popularized in reference to The Beatles, c.1963.
"Fabulous (often contracted to fab(s)) and fantastic are also in that long list of words which boys and girls use for a time to express high commendation and then get tired of, such as, to go no farther back than the present century, topping, spiffing, ripping, wizard, super, posh, smashing." [Fowler, 1965]
baguette: 1727, a type of architectural ornament, from Fr. baguette (16c.), from It. bacchetta, lit. "a small rod," dim. of bacchio "rod," from L. baculum "a stick" (see bacillus). Meaning "a diamond cut long" is from 1926; that of "a long, thin loaf of French bread" is from 1958.
toboggan: "long, flat-bottomed sled," 1829, from Canadian Fr. tabagane, from Algonquian (probably Micmac) tobakun "a sled." The verb is recorded from 1846. As Amer.Eng. colloquial for a type of long woolen cap, it is recorded from 1929 (earlier toboggan cap, 1928), presumably because one worse such a cap while tobogganing.
hour: mid-13c., from O.Fr. hore "one-twelfth of a day" (sunrise to sunset), from L. hora "hour, time, season," from Gk. hora "any limited time," from PIE *yor-a-, from base *yer- "year, season" (see year). Greek hora was "a season; 'the season;'" in classical times, sometimes, "a part of the day," such as morning, evening, noon, night. The Greek astronomers borrowed the notion of dividing the day into sections from the Babylonians. The Gk. division of the daytime into 12 equal hours was generally introduced by Hipparchus c.150 B.C.E. (night continued to be divided into four watches), but as the amount of daylight changed throughout the year, the hours were not fixed or of equal length. Equinoctal hours did not become established in Europe until the 4c., and as late as 16c. distinction sometimes was made between temporary (unequal) hours and sidereal (equal) ones. The h- has persisted in this word despite not being pronounced since Roman times. Replaced O.E. tid, lit. "time," and stund "period of time."