English Reference
Word noun

longer

n.
US /ˈɫɔŋɡɝ/ UK /lˈɒŋɡɐ/ longer UK spelling longers
Definition
  1. 01 C2 Proficiency Literary

    someone who wants or misses something very much.

    an agent noun referring to a person who experiences a strong desire or yearning for something.

    Simple

    “The poet described himself as a longer for lost days.”

    In context

    “In the final stanza, the protagonist is depicted as a weary longer for a homeland he can no longer reach.”

    Usage

    Rarely used in modern speech; found mostly in poetry or older literature.

    Synonyms
    yearnerwanter

Usage longer term · longer need · longer simply

Etymology
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”).

Etymology 2

From long (“yearn”) + -er.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin gem-pro *langaz
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Very common
Updated