▪ I. † leng, adv. Obs.
Also 1 lencg, 4 lenge.
[OE. lęng = OS. leng:—OTeut. *laŋgiz, adverbial comparative of *laŋgo- long a.]
Longer.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xvi. 2 Aᵹyf þine scire, ne miht þu lencg tun-scire bewitan. c 1000 ælfric Exod. xix. 19 And þære byman sweᵹ weox swa leng swa swiðor. c 1205 Lay. 11015 Hit heold hine bi þan ribben, þat ne mihte he na leng libben. 13.. Sir Beues 3808 (MS. A) Out of þe renge he com ride, & Beues nolde no leng [MS. O. lenger] abide. c 1386 Chaucer Reeve's Prol. 18 That ilke fruyt is euer leng the wers, Til it be roten in mullok or in stree. |
▪ II. † leng, v. Obs.
Forms: 1 lengan, 3–4 lengen, 4 lengin, ling, 4 lengh, 4–5 lenge, 4–6 lenge, lynge, 6 ling.
[OE. lęngan wk. vb. = OS. *lengian (MLG., Du. lengen), OHG. lengian (MHG. lengen, mod.G. längen), ON. lengja:—OTeut. *laŋgjan, f. *laŋgo- long a. The normal mod. form, if the OE. word had survived, would be linge.]
1. trans. To lengthen, prolong; to delay.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Daniel 646 Ne lengde þa leoda aldor witeᵹena wordcwyde, ac he wide bead metodes mihte. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 13 Þenne beoð þine daȝes ilenged. a 1275 Prov. ælfred 391 in O.E. Misc. 127 Ne miȝt þu þi lif lengen none wile. a 1300 Cursor M. 12408 We sal it lengh [Gött. lenth, Fairf. lenght, Trin. lengþe] a quantite. a 1340 Hampole Psalter cxix. 5 Wa til me for my wonynge is lenghid [Vulg. prolongatus est]. 1340 Ayenb. 198 Hi habbeþ ylengd þet lyf of þe poure be hare elmesse. |
2. intr. To linger, tarry, remain, abide, dwell; to continue in some condition. Also const. inf.
Sometimes conjugated with the verb to be.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1890 On messager þat lengs lang to bring answare. Ibid. 12127 Þat wat i wel..hu lang þi life sal last, For to be lengand in þis werld. c 1340 Ibid. 14138 (Trin.) In his sekenes he lenged so þat he had no fote to go. c 1350 Will. Palerne 1457 Þe grete lordes of ȝour land beþ lenged now here. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vii. 158 Ich haue no lust..to lenge a-mong monkes. a 1400–50 Alexander 461 Now hafe I..all to lange lengid fra hame. Ibid. 2162 If any life lenge in oure brestis. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. 415 (Douce MS.) If þou be curteys kniȝte, Late lenge [Thornton MS. Lyghte, and lende] al nyȝte, And tel me þi nome. c 1440 Ipomydon 1014 At this tyme I will not lynge. 1522 World & Child (Roxb. Club) B j, With hym I loue to lynge. a 1586 in Maitland Poems (1786) 183 Mony gay gelding Befoir did in our mercat ling. |
b. To lean or rely on. rare—1.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 11769 Who graidly may trist Any lede on to leng, as for lele true? |
Hence † ˈlenging vbl. n., dwelling; † ˈlenging pres. pple. used as prep. = during.
| c 1400 Dest. Troy 12329 All þat left were on lyue, lengand þat tyme. c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camden) lxix, Fere!..my lenging is no lengur her. |