longing
verbnouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈlɒŋɪŋ//
- United States//ˈlɔːŋɪŋ//
- //lɑŋɪŋ//
An earnest and deep, not greatly passionate, but rather melancholic desire.
verb
- 1
Also a form of longpresent participle and gerund of long
Etymology
From Middle English longynge, langynge, langand, from Old English langiende, from Proto-Germanic *langōndz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *langōną (“to desire, long for”), equivalent to long + -ing (present participle ending).
noun
- 1
An earnest and deep, not greatly passionate, but rather melancholic desire.
all natural lovings and longings
For round the valley a great desert lies through which no common traveller may come, but those whom the gods have chosen feel suddenly a great longing at heart, and crossing the mountains that divide the desert from the world, set out across it driven by the gods, […]
- 2
The buying of a financial instrument with the expectation that its value will rise.
Etymology
From Middle English longinge, langynge, from Old English longung, langung (“longing, desire”), from Proto-Germanic *langungō, gerund of Proto-Germanic *langōną (“to desire, long for”), equivalent to long + -ing (gerund ending).
Forms
- plural
- longings
longing · An earnest and deep, not greatly passionate, but rather melancholic desire.
Lonnie · A pet form of the male given name Alonzo.loo · A lavatory: a room used for urination and defecation.Loo · A surname.