English Explanatory Dictionary

linger

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To stay or remain in a place or situation, especially as if unwilling to depart or not easily able to do so.
  2. To remain alive or existent although still proceeding toward death or extinction; to die gradually.
  3. To consider or contemplate for a period of time; to engage in analytic thinking or discussion.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈlɪŋɡɚ/ /ˈliŋɡɚ/ /ˈlɪŋɡə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-linger.wav

Word forms

linger lingers lingering lingered

Etymology

From Middle English lengeren, frequentative of lengen (“to stay, dwell, tarry”), from Old English lenġan (“to lengthen, delay, extend”), from Proto-West Germanic *langijan, from Proto-Germanic *langijaną (compare West Frisian lingje (“to linger”), Dutch lengen, German längen, Icelandic lengja (“to lengthen”)), related to the root of English long. Equivalent to linge or long + -er (frequentative verb suffix).

Synonyms

abide loiter tarry eld linger retard stay wait

Derived words

lingerer lingering lingerly linger on linger out lingersome outlinger overlinger
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on L Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary