longest

1. 1
   adjective

   Superlative of long.

   This bridge holds the record as the longest in the country.

   Her speech was the longest of the entire ceremony.

   Note

   The ordinary superlative, formed by adding -est to long rather than by using most. It ranks one thing above all others in length or duration. It usually comes with the or a possessive, as in the longest viaduct in Britain or her longest speech. The same spelling also serves the archaic verb form with thou, built on long meaning 'to yearn'. The surrounding words always show which one is meant.

2. 2
   adverb

   Superlative of long.

   Among all the candidates, she campaigned longest before election day.

   The drought lasted longest in the southern valleys.

   Note

   Here the superlative modifies a verb rather than a noun. It usually comes after the verb, as in campaigned longest or lasted longest. It covers both time and distance, as the plain adverb long does, so stayed longest and threw longest both work. Unlike the adjective, it normally stands without an article.

3. 3
   verbarchaic

   Second-person singular simple present of long. Archaic, used with thou.

   Note

   A verb form that lives only beside thou. The -est ending marks the second-person singular. It belongs to the yearning sense of long, which takes no object and is usually followed by for, as in thou longest for home. Outside historical, liturgical or deliberately archaic writing, write you long instead. Pairing thou with a plain verb, or you with -est, reads as a mistake.

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