Livelong is an adjective meaning whole or entire, commonly found in the phrase 'all the livelong day,' with its 'live' root meaning 'dear or beloved'.
Livelong es un adjetivo que significa entero o completo, a menudo encontrado en la frase "all the livelong day" (todo el santo día). Su raíz "live" proviene del inglés medio "lef", que significa amado o querido.
| Word | livelong |
|---|---|
| Date | April 11, 2017 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | LIV-lawng |
| Etymology | "I've been workin' on the railroad, all the livelong day." So goes the American folk standard, and nowadays when we encounter the word livelong, it is typically in the phrase "all the livelong day" or something similar. Although we don't see livelong much in prose anymore, poets still love the word, possibly for its two distinct, alliterative syllables. Despite the resemblance, livelong does not mean the same thing as lifelong (as in "a lifelong friend"). In fact, the words are not closely related: the live in livelong derives from lef, a Middle English word meaning "dear or beloved." |
| Examples | The farmhands worked hard all the livelong day and finally fell into their beds, exhausted, well past sundown. "They were part of a research study that showed how standing in the classroom (and not sitting all the livelong day) can help reduce body mass index…." — Leslie Barker, The Dallas Morning News, 30 Aug. 2016 |
| Definition | : whole, entire |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Widdershins direction english speakers found early opposite hair
Previous card: Snaffle verb meaning origins noun april snaff-ul shrouded
Up to card list: Word of the Day