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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Word “Long” Come From and Why Does it Mean Length and a Period Of Time?

Where Did the Word “Long” Come From and Why Does it Mean Length and a Period Of Time?

February 22, 2020 by Karen Hill

Longing for someone evolved from long, as in length, around 1000 AD.

Around 1300 AD, long began to define a period of time because it seemed forever for someone to travel a great distance when a donkey cart was rapid transit.

In this day of jet travel, yearning or longing for someone who is far away isn’t the same, because you can always call long distance.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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