Where does “lifelong” come from?
Lifelong derives from English life and Old English lang, both meaning "long," combined through Middle English lif to express duration extending throughout one's entire existence.
lifelong (English): Extending for the entire duration of life
Definitions
- Extending for the entire duration of life
Ancestry of “lifelong”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -long | Forms adjectives indicating duration when... |
| 2 | English | long | Having much distance from one terminating point... |
| 3 | English | longitude | Angular distance measured west or east of the... |
| 4 | Old French | longitude | — |
| 5 | Latin | longitūdō | length, longitude; longness |
| 6 | Latin | longus | far, long; extended, prolonged; long; tedious,... |
| 7 | Latin | -ē | ly; used to form adverbs from adjectives |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |