Forms: 1 langian, 3–4 longen, 3–6 longe, north. lang, (3 longy, 3, 6 longue, 4 loungy, 5 lung, longyn), 3– long. [OE. langian = OS. langôn impers. = sense 5 below (MDu. langen to be or seem long; to ‘think long,’ desire; to extend, hold out, offer, Du. langen to offer, present), OHG. langên impers. = sense 5 (MHG., G. langen to reach, extend, suffice), ON. langa impers. and pers. to desire, long:—OTeut. *laŋgôjan, *laŋgǣjan f. *laŋgo- LONG a.1]
† 1. intr. To grow longer; to lengthen. Obs.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., III. 250. Þonne se dæʓ langað þonne gæð seo sunne norðweard.
13[?]. K. Alis., 139. Averil is meory, and longith the day.
c. 1325. Song on Passion, 2, in O. E. Misc., 197. Somer is comen … þis day biginniz to longe.
1422. trans. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv., 245. The dayes longyth fro equinoccium forth, and the nyghtes shortith.
† 2. trans. To lengthen, prolong. Obs.
1382. Wyclif, Eccl. viii. 12. Be ther not good to the vnpitouse, ne be ther aferr longid the daȝes of hym.
1422. trans. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv., 202. Prayer longyth a mannys lyue.
a. 1500[?]. Roberd of Cysille, 32, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 271. Hys dwellynge thoȝt he there to longe.
† 3. To long away [used to trans. L. ēlongāre]. a. trans. To put far away. b. intr. To depart. Obs.
1382. Wyclif, Ps. lxxxvii. 19. Thou longedest awei [Vulg. elongasti] fro me frend and neȝhebore. Ibid., Ecclus. xxxv. 22. The Lord shal not longen awey [Vulg. elongabit].
4. trans. To cause to pass over a certain distance (see quots.). dial.
1674. Ray, S. & E. C. Words, 71. Long it hither: Reach it hither. Suffolk.
a. 1825. Forby, Voc. E. Anglia, Long, to forward to a distance, from one hand to another, in succession.
II. † 5. impers. with accus. Me longs (longeth): I have a yearning desire; I long. Const. after, or to with sb. or inf. Obs. (Cf. to think long, LONG a. 9 b.)
c. 893. K. Ælfred, Oros., II. xi. § 1. Þæt us nu æfter swelcum longian mæʓe swelce þa wæron.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 149. Him wile sone longe þar after.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 199/14. Hire longuede with hire broþer to speke.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 20141. Hir langed sare hir sun cum to.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter cxxxix. 9. Vs langis eftire a thynge of þe warld.
1406. Hoccleve, La Male Regle, 38. Me longed aftir nouelrie.
6. To have a yearning desire; to wish earnestly. Const. for († after, occas. † at, † to), or to with inf. (The only current sense.) † Also, to be restless or impatient till (something is attained).
a. 1300. Cursor M., 10548 (Cott.). Þan sal þou find þin husband þar, þat þou has langed efter sare.
c. 1386–90. Chaucer, Prol., 12. Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, III. 352. Rycht sar he langyt the toune of Ayr to se.
c. 1500. Melusine, xix. 72. For therat I lang moche.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., XXIX. (Percy Soc.), 138. You knowe well that some women do long After nyce thynges, be it ryght or wrong.
1530. Palsgr., 614/1. I longe, as a woman with chylde longeth, or lusteth for a thynge that she wolde eate or drinke of.
a. 1584. Montgomerie, Cherrie & Slae, 177. I langt in Luiffis bow to shute.
1590. Marlowe, Edw. II., II. i. 82. Come, leade the way, I long till I am there.
1611. Bible, Ps. cxix. 40. Behold, I haue longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousnesse.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., X. 480. He longed for day, and it being come,… hee quietly left his Lodging.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 593. All other Beasts that saw, with like desire Longing and envying stood.
1738. Swift, Pol. Conversat., ii. 129. But what if any of the Ladies should long? Well, here take it, and the D—l do you good with it.
1786. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, 8 Nov. Though she gave me a thousand small distresses, I longed to kiss her for every one of them.
1816. J. Wilson, City of Plague, I. ii. 51. As the cold grave that longeth for its coflin.
1855. Kingsley, Heroes, Theseus, I. 197. He longed to ask his mother the meaning of that stone.
1865. Trollope, Belton Est., xxviii. 338. This man longed for her,—desired to call her his own.
1884. F. Temple, Relat. Relig. & Sci., viii. (1885), 239. Believers in all ages have longed for external support to their faith.
† 7. Const. an adv. or advb. phr. with a verb of motion implied: To long to go. Obs.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 157. Him wile sone longe þiderward.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 195. Mi longeð heonneward.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 3649. Þo þe king hurde þis, him longede þuder sore.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 2914. So longid this lady with lust to the temple.
1548. Hall, Chron., Rich. III., 27. The man had an high harte and sore longed upwarde, not risyng yet so fast as he had hoped.
† 8. To grow weary. Sc. Obs.
1606. Rollock, 1 Thess. xxiii. 293. Let vs not wearie in doing good, and he addes to the promise, we shall reape the frute of our good deeds in our owne tyme, if we long not, but goe forward ay to the end.
