lung

Etymology

From Middle English lunge, longe, from Old English lungen, from Proto-Germanic *lunganjō, an enlargement of *lungô (“the light organ, lung”), from Proto-Indo-European *lengʷʰ- (“not heavy, agile, nimble”); compare *h₁lengʷʰ-, whence ultimately also light. Cognate with West Frisian long, Dutch long, German Lunge, Danish lunge, Swedish lunga, Icelandic lunga, and also Russian лёгкое (ljóxkoje) (lung), Ancient Greek ἐλαφρός (elaphrós, “light in weight”) and perhaps Albanian lungë (“blister, bulge”). Compare Latin levis and Old English lēoht (Modern English light). See also lights (“lungs”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: lŭng, IPA^(key): /ˈlʌŋ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌŋ

Noun

lung (plural lungs)

1. (anatomy) A biological organ that extracts oxygen from the air.
   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.

Adjective

lung m (oblique and nominative feminine singular lunge)

1. (Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of long

Etymology

From the Latin longus (“long”, adjective), from Proto-Indo-European *dl̥h₁gʰós (“long”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /luŋɡ/

Adjective

lung m, n (feminine singular lungă, plural lungi)

1. long

   Asta e o stradă foarte lungă!

   This is a really long street!

Etymology

From Latin longus.

Adjective

lung m (feminine singular lunga, masculine plural lungs, feminine plural lungas)

1. long

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [lʊwŋ͡m˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lʊwŋ͡m˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [lʊwŋ͡m˧˧]

Adverb

lung (𢥆)

1. (of thought) very hard

Adjective

lung

1. (only in compounds) loose