Where does “linger” come from?

Linger derives from Middle English lenger and lengen, from Old Norse lengja, from Proto-Germanic langaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dl̥h₁gʰós meaning long.

linger (English): To stay or remain in a place or situation,...

Definitions

  1. To stay or remain in a place or situation,...

Ancestry of “linger”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlengerento reside, dwell
2Middle Englishlengento tarry; to linger
3Old Englishlenganto make long, lengthen
4Proto-Germaniclangijanąto lengthen, make long
5Proto-Germaniclangazlong
6Proto-Indo-Europeandlongʰoslong

Words derived from “linger”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos →Every word from Proto-Germanic langaz →Every word from Proto-Germanic langijaną →