Where does “footlong” come from?

footlong (English) comes from English long, from English longitude, from Old French longitude, from Latin longitūdō, from Latin longus, from Latin -ē, from Latin dis-, from Latin calceus — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.

footlong (English): One foot long; A hot dog or submarine sandwich...

Definitions

  1. One foot long; A hot dog or submarine sandwich...

Ancestry of “footlong”, step by step

footlong traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English long

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlongHaving much distance from one terminating point...
2EnglishlongitudeAngular distance measured west or east of the...
3Old Frenchlongitude
4Latinlongitūdōlength, longitude; longness
5Latinlongusfar, long; extended, prolonged; long; tedious,...
6Latinly; used to form adverbs from adjectives
7Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
8Latincalceusshoe
9Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
10Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

via English foot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfootA biological structure found in many animals that...
2Middle Englishfotfoot; The bottom, lower part or foundation of...
3Old Englishfōtfoot
4Proto-West Germanicfōtfoot
5Proto-Germanicfōtsfoot
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpṓdsfoot
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpódsfoot
8Proto-Indo-Europeanped-to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ