prolong

English

Etymology

Either a back-formation from prolongation, or from Old French prolonguer or porloignier, from Latin prōlongō, from prō + longō. Doublet of purloin.

Verb

prolong (third-person singular simple present prolongs, present participle prolonging, simple past and past participle prolonged)

  1. (transitive) To extend in space or length.
  2. (transitive) To lengthen in time; to extend the duration of
    Synonym: draw out
    • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
      The departure was not unduly prolonged. In the road Mr. Love and the driver favoured the company with a brief chanty running. “Got it?—No, I ain't, 'old on,—Got it? Got it?—No, 'old on sir.”
  3. (transitive) To lengthen temporally; to put off to a distant time; to postpone.
    The government shouldn't prolong deciding on this issue any further.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  • prolong in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • prolong in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
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