longer

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English longer, longere, normalisation of Middle English lenger, lengere (“longer”), from Old English lengra (“longer”), from Proto-Germanic *langizô (“longer”), comparative of Proto-Germanic *langaz (“long”), equivalent to long +‎ -er. Cognate with Saterland Frisian laanger (“longer”), West Frisian langer (“longer”), Dutch langer (“longer”), German länger (“longer”), Danish længere (“longer”), Swedish längre (“longer”), Icelandic lengri (“longer”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɒŋ.ɡə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔŋ.ɡɚ/
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑŋ.ɡɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (Ireland (rural)) IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -ɒŋɡə(ɹ)

Adjective

longer

1. comparative form of long: more long

Adverb

longer

1. comparative form of long: more long

Derived terms

Etymology 2

long (“yearn”) +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɒŋ.ə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔŋ.ɚ/
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑŋ.ɚ/
• (Ireland (rural)) IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -ɒŋə(ɹ)

Noun

longer (plural longers)

1. One who longs or yearns for something.

Further reading

• “longer”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

French

Etymology

From long +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɔ̃.ʒe/

• audio

  (file)

Verb

longer

1. to walk along, run along

Conjugation

This is a regular -er verb, but the stem is written longe- before endings that begin with -a- or -o- (to indicate that the -g- is a "soft" /ʒ/ and not a "hard" /ɡ/). This spelling-change occurs in all verbs in -ger, such as neiger and manger.

See also

• border
• côtoyer

Further reading

• “longer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Anagrams

• grêlon