# length

Pronunciation: say "LENGKTH" /lɛŋ(k)θ/

## Noun

1. The measurement of how far something extends from one end to the other, especially along its longest side.
   - Simple: How long something is, measured from one end to the other.
   - _The carpenter recorded the length of each beam before assembly._
   - _Engineers calculated the bridge's total length down to the millimeter._
2. The amount of time that something continues or lasts.
   - Simple: How long something lasts in time.
   - _The length of the trial stretched the patience of the jury._
   - _Doctors monitored the length of each patient's recovery._
3. The extent or degree to which an action or effort is carried, especially in expressions such as "go to great lengths."
   - Simple: The full reach or scope of something, not its size.
   - _Few people expected the company to go to the length of suing its own customers._
   - _Investigators were stunned by the length to which the firm had gone to hide its losses._
4. A piece or section of something long, such as rope, pipe, or fabric.
   - Simple: A piece of something long, like rope or cloth.
   - _The plumber fitted a new length of copper pipe under the sink._
   - _She draped a length of silk across the table for the display._
5. The distance between the two ends of a swimming pool, used as a unit when counting how far a swimmer goes.
   - Simple: One trip across a swimming pool from end to end, used to count how far you swim.
   - _She swims forty lengths every morning before work._
   - _He managed one more length of the pool before the lifeguard blew the whistle._
6. A unit approximately equal to a horse's length from nose to tail, used to describe the gap between horses at the finish of a race.
   - Simple: In horse racing, the size of one horse used to measure how far ahead it is.
   - _The colt pulled away to win by three lengths._
   - _Only a length separated the top two horses at the wire._
7. In wine tasting, the time the flavor of a wine lingers on the palate after it is swallowed or spat out.
   - Simple: In wine tasting, how long the flavor stays in your mouth after the wine is gone.
   - _Tasters praised the Burgundy for its remarkable length on the palate._
   - _A wine with real length often signals quality and aging potential._
8. In cricket, the distance down the pitch at which a bowled ball bounces before reaching the batsman.
   - Simple: In cricket, how far down the pitch the ball bounces before reaching the batter.
   - _The spinner varied his length to keep the batsman guessing._
   - _A fuller length tempted the batsman into a rash drive._
9. Slang for the penis, often used in sexual or erotic writing. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A slang word for the penis, often used in sexual stories or writing.
   - _Her fingers closed around his length as they kissed._
   - _His length strained against the zipper of his jeans._

## Verb

10. To make or become longer; to lengthen. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make something longer.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In the card game bridge, the number of cards a player holds in a particular suit.
- (noun) In theater, a unit of script measurement equal to 42 lines.

## Origin

From Middle English lengthe, from Old English lengþ, going back to Proto-Germanic *langiþō. It is essentially "long" combined with the abstract noun suffix "-th," and is related to Dutch lengte, Low German Längde, Danish længde, and Swedish längd.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/length (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).