longing
n.-
1 deep desire (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea strong, often sad feeling of wanting something or someone you cannot have right now.
an intense, persistent, and often melancholic desire for something or someone, typically characterized by a sense of absence or distance.
ExampleAfter living in the city for years, he felt a deep longing for the quiet countryside.
ExampleHer poetry often explores the bittersweet longing for a childhood home that no longer exists in the physical world.
UsageCommonly follows the pattern 'longing for [something]' or 'longing to [do something].'
PitfallShe had a longing of her old home.She had a longing for her old home.The noun 'longing' is almost always followed by the preposition 'for'.
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2 finance (n.) C2 Proficiency Technical Sciencebuying an investment because you expect its price to go up.
the act of purchasing a financial instrument with the expectation that its market value will appreciate. Usually functions as a gerund or part of a compound.
ExampleThe trader's longing of the tech stock proved profitable when the prices rose.
ExampleThe fund's strategy involved the aggressive longing of emerging market currencies in anticipation of a regional economic recovery.
UsageIn modern finance, 'going long' is more common as a verbal phrase, but 'longing' appears in technical trading contexts.
- shorting
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).
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).