LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

longus

longus (feminine longa, neuter longum, comparative longior, superlative longissimus, adverb longē or longiter)
Classical[ˈɫɔŋ.ɡʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈlɔŋ.ɡus]
№ 142 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectiveliterallyfar, long; extended, prolonged (of space, in general)
  2. adjectiveliterallyremote, distant, far off
  3. adjectiveliterallygreat, vast, spacious
  4. adjectiveliterallytall (of people and trees)
    Quīntia fōrmōsa est multīs, mihi candida, longa, / rēcta est.Quintia is beautiful for many, for me she is fair-skinned, tall, upright.c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmina 86.1–2
  5. adjectivelong, of long duration or continuance; tedious, laborious (of time)
    Persequi singulos longum est quorum aut latrunculi aut pila aut excoquendi in sole corporis cura consumpsere uitam.It would be tedious to mention all the different men who have spent the whole of their life over chess or ball or the practice of baking their bodies in the sun.c. 4 BCE – 65 CE, Seneca Minor, De brevitate vitae 13
    Longum esse perterritis Romanis Germanorum auxilium exspectare.They said it would be tedious to wait for the assistance of the Germans while the Romans were terrified.c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 6.8
  6. adjectivelong-winded, lengthy
    Longum iter per praecepta, breve per exempla.(Education is) a long road by lessons, a short one by examples.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

nōn brevis; via longa, capillī longī.
longus -a -um — in Mille Verba, Templum Graecum
long
longus — in Seneca, ch. IV

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Procul · Longe · Eminus · E longinquo

1. Procul means at a considerable distance, but yet generally within sight, in opp. to juxta, Tac. H. ii. 74, like ἄποθεν; whereas longe, at a great distance, generally out of sight, in opp. to prope, Plin. Ep. vii. 27, like τῆλε. 2. Eminus means at such a distance as to be in reach only of missile weapons, in opp. to cominus, like πόῤῥωθεν; whereas e longinquo, from afar, means from a great distance, in opp. to e propinquo, like τηλόθεν.

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativelonguslongalongum
genitivelongīlongaelongī
dativelongōlongaelongō
accusativelongumlongamlongum
ablativelongōlongālongō
vocativelongelongalongum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativelongīlongaelonga
genitivelongōrumlongārumlongōrum
dativelongīslongīslongīs
accusativelongōslongāslonga
ablativelongīslongīslongīs
vocativelongīlongaelonga

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

navis longa
a man-of-war.
ne longum sit
not to be prolix.
sed lābor longius
but that takes us too far.
ne longus, multus sim
not to be prolix.
longam viam conficere
to accomplish a long journey.
satis longo intervallo
after a fairly long interval.
longius progredi, procedere
to march further forward.
hoc longe aliter, secus est
this is quite another matter.
17 more phrases
longe, procul abesse ab urbe
to be far from town.
error longe lateque diffusus
a wide-spread error.
longius aetate provectum esse
to be more advanced in years.
longum itineris spatium emetiri
to finish a very long journey.
oriri a longa (De Or. 1. 55. 236)
to begin with a long syllable.
longo spatio, intervallo interiecto
at a great distance.
longe lateque, passim (e.g. fluere)
far and wide; on all sides; everywhere.
nihil mihi longius est quam (c. Inf.)
nothing is more tiresome to me than...
eadem (longe alia) est huius rei ratio
the case is exactly similar (entirely different).
oratio longius repetita (De Or. 3. 24. 91)
a rather recondite speech.
nihil mihi longius est or videtur quam dum or quam ut
I cannot wait till...
fines (imperii) propagare, extendere, (longius) proferre
to enlarge the boundaries of a kingdom.
ab omni cultu et humanitate longe abesse (B. G. 1. 1. 3)
to be quite uncivilised.
Pythagorae doctrina longe lateque fluxit (Tusc. 4. 1. 2)
Pythagoras' principles were widely propagated.
longe prospicere futuros casus rei publicae (De Amic. 12. 40)
to foresee political events long before.
haec vox longa syllaba terminatur, in longam syllabam cadit, exit
this word ends in a long syllable.
longe, alte (longius, altius) repetere (either absolute or ab aliqua re)
to go a long way back (in narrative).

longus, a, um, adj. cf. λαγγάζω, λογγάζω,
I. long.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: longo interjecto intervallo, Cic. Off. 1, 9, 30: longissima epistula, id. Att. 16, 11: Rhenus longo spatio citatus fertur, Caes. B. G. 4, 9: proficisci longissimo agmine, id. ib. 5, 31: stant longis annixi hastis, Verg. A. 9, 229: umbilicus septem pedes longus, Plin. 6, 34, 39, § 212: longa folia habet fere ad tres digitos, id. 27, 12, 86, § 110: ferrum autem tres longum habebat pedes, in length, Liv. 21, 8: scrobes faciemus tribus pedibus longas, Pall. 2, 10: longa navis, a war-ship, manof-war, on account of its shape, Enn. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 11, 326 (Ann. v. 468 Vahl.); Lentul. ap. Cic. Fam. 12, 15, 5: longus versus, the heroic hexameter, Enn. ap. Cic. Leg. 2, 27, 68; Diom. p. 493 P.; Isid. Orig. 1, 38: longa atque insignis honorum pagina, Juv. 10, 57: sesquipede est quam tu longior, taller, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 58: longus homo, i. q. longurio, a tall fellow, long-shanks, Cat. 67, 47; so, Maura, Juv. 10, 223: longa manus, a long, far-reaching, mighty hand: an nescis longas regibus esse manus, Ov. H. 17, 166; on the contrary: attulimus longas in freta vestra manus, unmutilated, uninjured, Prop. 3, 5, 14 (4, 6, 60).—
B. In partic., far off, remote, distant, = longinquus (post-Aug. and very rare): remeans longis oris, Sil. 6, 628: longa a domo militia, Just. 18, 1: longas terras peragrare, Auct. Decl. Quint. 320.—
C. Great, vast, spacious (poet.): pontus, Hor. C. 3, 3, 37; 3, 27, 43: Olympus, Verg. G. 3, 223: classemque ex aethere longo prospexit, id. A. 7, 288: caelum, Ov. M. 6, 64.—
II. Transf., of time, long, of long duration or continuance, tedious: in tam longa aetate, Cic. de Sen. 19, 66: vita longior, id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94: horae quibus exspectabam longae videbantur, id. Att. 12, 5, 4: uno die longior mensis, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 52, § 129: longa interjecta mora, Caes. B. C. 3, 69: post longum tempus, Sen. Contr. 7, 17, 2; 9, 28, 12: per longum tempus, Suet. Ner. 57: vita, Liv. 2, 40, 6; 9, 17, 6: spatium (sc. temporis), id. 9, 18, 10: error, protracted, id. 5, 33: caedes, id. 6, 8, 7: longi aliorum principatus, Tac. H. 2, 55: longae pacis mala, Juv. 6, 292: bellum, Quint. 3, 8, 56: memoriam nostri longam efficere, Sall. C. 1, 3: morbus, Liv. 27, 23, 6; Cels. 3, 1, 1: longo tempore, after a long interval, Verg. A. 3, 309; cf.: longo post tempore, id. E. 1, 29: longa dies, length of days, a long life, Juv. 10, 265: longa syllaba, Cic. de Or. 3, 47, 183: littera, id. Or. 48, 159: syllabae, Quint. 9, 4, 36: vocalis, id. 9, 4, 85: longae pretium virtutis, Luc. 2, 258: longa Lethe, id. 6, 769: in rebus apertissimis nimis longi sumus; Cic. Fin. 2, 27, 85: exordium nimis longum, Auct. Her. 1, 7, 11: longior quam oportet sermo, Quint. 8, 3, 53: nulla de morte hominis cunctatio longa est, Juv. 6, 221: quantis longa senectus plena malis, id. 10, 190; 14, 251.—Hence: longum est, it would take long, it would be tedious, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 60, § 156: longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam, id. Sest. 5, 12: experire; non est longum, id. Phil. 3, 2, 10: arcessere tormenta longum videbatur, Tac. H. 3, 71. —Ellipt., without inf., Cic. N. D. 1, 8, 19: ne longum sit, ne longum faciam, not to be tedious, to speak briefly: ac, ne longum sit, Quirites, tabellas proferri jussimus, id. Cat. 3, 5, 10: ac ne longum fiat, videte, id. Leg. 2, 10, 24: ne longum faciam: dum tu quadrante lavatum Rex ibis, Hor. S. 1, 3, 137: longius facere, to defer or put off any longer: nihil opus est exemplis id facere longius, Cic. Fin. 5, 6, 16; id. Leg. 1, 7, 22: nihil est mihi longius, nothing makes time seem longer to me than, i. e. I am full of impatience, can hardly wait for: respondit, nihil sibi longius fuisse, quam ut me viderit, id. Fam. 11, 27, 1; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 18, § 39; but: nec mihi longius quicquam est quam videre hominum voltus, nothing is more tedious, id. Rab. Post. 12, 35: in longum, long, for a long time: nec in longum dilata res, Liv. 5, 16: in longum dilata conclusio, drawn out tediously, Quint. 8, 2, 22: causando nostros in longum ducis amores, Verg. E. 9, 56: otium ejus rei haud in longum paravit, Tac. A. 3, 27; 11, 20: in longum sufficere, id. H. 4, 22: odia in longum jaciens, ia. A. 1, 69: nec in longius consultans, id. H. 2, 95: per longum, for a long time: per longum celata fames, Sil. 2, 465: ex longo, for a long time back: collecta fatigat edendi Ex longo rabies, Verg. A. 9, 64: longa spes, that looks far ahead, reaching far into futurity: vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat inchoare longam, Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; Stat. Th. 1, 322.—Of persons, prolix, tedious: nolo esse longus, Cic. N. D. 1, 36, 101: in verbis nimius et compositione nonnumquam longior, Quint. 10, 1, 118: (testis) longus protrahi potest, id. 5, 7, 26: longus spe ( = tardus et difficilis ad sperandum), slow to hope, Hor. A. P. 172.— Hence, adv., in three forms.
A. Form longē, long, in length.
1. Lit., a long way off, far, far off, at a distance, Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 95: ab eo oppido non longe fanum est Junonis, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 46, § 103: longe absum, audio sero, id. Fam. 2, 7, 1: quam longe est hinc in saltum Gallicanum, id. Quint. 25, 79: longe mihi obviam processerunt, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 27, § 65: longe lateque collucere, in length and breadth, i. e. far and wide, everywhere, id. N D. 2, 15, 40: Di vim suam longe lateque dmundunt, id. Div. 1, 36, 79: longe gradi, to take long steps, Verg. A. 10, 572: Vercingetorix locum castris delegit ab Avarico longe millia passuum XVI., Caes. B. G. 7, 16: Rhenum non longe a mari transire, id. ib. 4, 1, 1: tu autem abes longe gentium, Cic. Att. 6, 3, 1; cf. id. Fam. 12, 22, 2.—Comp.: fontes longius a praesidiis aberant, Caes. B. C. 3, 49, 5: longius non discedam, Cic. Fam. 14, 2 fin.: longius meare, Col. 9, 8, 9.—
2. Trop.
a. Of time, long, for a long period (but, acc. to some, not in positive; and the foll. passages are to be understood locally; v. Forbig. ad Verg. A. 5, 406; 10, 317): longe prospicere futuros casus, Cic. Lael. 12, 40: stupet Dares, longeque recusat, Verg. A. 5, 406: nec longe, id. ib. 10, 317: quae venientia longe ante videris, Cic. Tusc. 3, 14, 29.—Comp.: Varro vitam Naevii producit longius, Cic. Brut. 15, 60: paulo longius tolerare, Caes. B. G. 7, 71, 4: longius anno remanere, id. ib. 4, 1, 7; Nep. Att. 2, 4; Sall. C. 29, 1.—Sup.: quamdudum in portum venis huc? Ep. Longissime, Plaut. Stich. 4, 1, 24: quid longissime meministi in patria tua, id. Men. 5, 9, 52: quoad longissime potest mens mea respicere, Cic. Arch. 1, 1.—
b. Of speech, long, at length, diffusely: haec dixi longius quam instituta ratio postulabat, Cic. Or. 48, 162: longius aliquid circumducere, Quint. 10, 2, 17.—
c. Longe esse, abesse.
(a). To be far away, i. e. to be of no assistance, of no avail: longe iis fraternum nomen populi Romani afuturum, Caes. B. G. 1, 36: longe illi dea mater erit, Verg. A. 12, 52: quam tibi nunc longe regnum dotale Creusae, Ov. H. 12, 53: longe conjugia, ac longe Tyrios hymenaeos Inter Dardanias acies fore, Sil. 17, 80; Petr. 58.—
(b). Longe esse ab aliqua re, to be far from, i. e. destitute of a thing: ut ab eloquentia longissime fuerint, Quint. 8 prooem. § 3.—
d. Widely, greatly, much, very much, by far; esp. with sup. and (poet. and post-Aug. = multo) comp.: errat longe, Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 40: longe ante videre, Cic. Tusc. 3, 14; Liv. 1, 19, 12: longe melior, Verg. A. 9, 556: minor, Liv. 24, 28, 5: longe acrius, Tac. A. 4, 40: praestantior, Curt. 10, 3, 10; Suet. Calig. 5; Quint. 10, 1, 67: tumultuosior, Vell. 2, 74: proelium longe magis prosperum, id. 2, 51: longe omnium longissima est, Plaut. Most. 8, 3, 8: longe nobilissimus, Caes. B. G. 1, 2: longe doctissimus, Hor. S. 1, 5, 3: longe plurimum ingenio valuisse videtur, Cic. Brut. 14, 35: longe princeps, id. Fam. 13, 13: longe praestare, id. Brut. 64, 230: ceteris antecellere, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 53, § 118: anteponere alicui rei aliquid, id. de Or. 1, 21, 98: dissentire, id. Lael. 9, 32 init.: quod longe secus est, id. ib. 9, 29 fin.: longe aliter se habet ac, id. Ac. 2, 31, 101: longe dissimilis contentio, id. Sull. 17, 49: longe ante alias specie insignis, Liv. 1, 9: sciunt longe aliud esse virgines rapere, aliud pugnare cum viris, id. 1, 12, 8: longe mihi alia mens est, Sall. C. 52, 2: a quo mea longissime ratio ... abhorrebat, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 4, § 10: longissime diversa ratio est, id. Phil. 5, 18, 49: (istae facultates) longe sunt diversae, id. de Or. 1, 49, 215: longe omnes multumque superare, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 44, § 115: longe et multum antecellere, id. Mur. 13, 29.—Repeated: plurimum et longe longeque plurimum tribuere honestati, Cic. Fin. 2, 21, 68: sed longe cunctis longeque potentior illa, Ov. M. 4, 325; so Gell. 14, 1.—
e. In post-class. Lat. = valde: longe gravis, Stat. Th. 10, 140: longe opulentus, App. M. 1, p. 112, 1: par studiis aevique modis sed robore longe (sc. impar), far from equal, Stat. Achill. 1, 176.—*
B. Form longĭter, far: non, ut opinor, id a leto jam longiter errat, Lucr. 3, 676.—
C. Form longum, long, a long while (poet.): nimis longum loquor, Plaut. Ep. 3, 2, 40: nimis diu et longam loquor, id. Ps. 2, 3, 21: nec longum laetabere, Verg. A. 10, 740; Ov. M. 5, 65: clamare, Hor. A. P. 459; Juv. 6, 65; Stat. Th. 7, 300; 10, 467.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *(d)longos, from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos. Cognate with Proto-Germanic *langaz.

Descendants
  • Englishlongus
  • Italianlungo
  • Frenchlongfrom Old French long
  • Occitanlongfrom Old Occitan lonc
  • Catalanllongfrom Old Occitan lonc
  • Portugueselongofrom Old Galician-Portuguese longo
  • Romanianlung
  • Sardinianlongu
  • Spanishlongo
  • Spanishluengo

Quick answers

What does longus mean in Latin?
longus, a adjective, means “far, long; extended, prolonged (of space, in general); remote, distant, far off”.
How do you pronounce longus?
In classical Latin, [ˈɫɔŋ.ɡʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈlɔŋ.ɡus].