DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 Long a. [Compar. Longer superl. Longest ]
 1. Drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; protracted; extended; as, a long line; -- opposed to short, and distinguished from broad or wide.
 2. Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a long book.
 3. Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration; lingering; as, long hours of watching.
 4. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
 The we may us reserve both fresh and strong
 Against the tournament, which is not long.   --Spenser.
 5. Having a length of the specified measure; of a specified length; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
 6. Far-reaching; extensive. “ Long views.”
 7. Phonetics Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in utterance; -- said of vowels and syllables. See Short, a., 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 22, 30.
 8. Finance & Com. Having a supply of stocks or goods; prepared for, or depending for a profit upon, advance in prices; as, long of cotton.  Hence, the phrases: to be, or go, long of the market, to be on the long side of the market, to hold products or securities for a rise in price, esp. when bought on a margin.  Contrasted to short.
 Note: ☞ Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as, long-armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long-horned, long-necked, long-sleeved, long-tailed, long- worded, etc.
 In the long run, in the whole course of things taken together; in the ultimate result; eventually.
 Long clam Zool., the common clam (Mya arenaria) of the Northern United States and Canada; -- called also soft-shell clam and long-neck clam. See Mya.
 Long cloth, a kind of cotton cloth of superior quality.
 Long clothes, clothes worn by a young infant, extending below the feet.
 Long division. Math. See Division.
 Long dozen, one more than a dozen; thirteen.
 Long home, the grave.
 Long measure, Long meter. See under Measure, Meter.
 Long Parliament Eng. Hist., the Parliament which assembled Nov. 3, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell, April 20, 1653.
 Long price, the full retail price.
 Long purple Bot., a plant with purple flowers, supposed to be the Orchis mascula. --Dr. Prior.
 Long suit (a) Whist, a suit of which one holds originally more than three cards. --R. A. Proctor. (b)  One's most important resource or source of strength; as, as an entertainer, her voice was her long suit.
 Long tom. (a) A pivot gun of great length and range, on the dock of a vessel. (b) A long trough for washing auriferous earth. [Western U.S.] (c) Zool. The long-tailed titmouse.
 Long wall Coal Mining, a working in which the whole seam is removed and the roof allowed to fall in, as the work progresses, except where passages are needed.
 Of long, a long time. [Obs.] --Fairfax.
 To be long of the market, or To go long of the market, To be on the long side of the market, etc. Stock Exchange, to hold stock for a rise in price, or to have a contract under which one can demand stock on or before a certain day at a stipulated price; -- opposed to short in such phrases as, to be short of stock, to sell short, etc. [Cant] See Short.
 To have a long head, to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.

 meas·ure n.
 1. A standard of dimension; a fixed unit of quantity or extent; an extent or quantity in the fractions or multiples of which anything is estimated and stated; hence, a rule by which anything is adjusted or judged.
 2. An instrument by means of which size or quantity is measured, as a graduated line, rod, vessel, or the like.
    False ells and measures be brought all clean adown.   --R. of Gloucester.
 3. The dimensions or capacity of anything, reckoned according to some standard; size or extent, determined and stated; estimated extent; as, to take one's measure for a coat.
    The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.   --Job xi. 9.
 4. The contents of a vessel by which quantity is measured; a quantity determined by a standard; a stated or limited quantity or amount.
    It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal.   --Luke xiii. 21.
 5. Extent or degree not excessive or beyong bounds; moderation; due restraint; esp. in the phrases, in measure; with measure; without or beyond measure.
    Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure.   --Is. v. 14.
 6. Determined extent, not to be exceeded; limit; allotted share, as of action, influence, ability, or the like; due proportion.
    Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days.   --Ps. xxxix. 4.
 7. The quantity determined by measuring, especially in buying and selling; as, to give good or full measure.
 8. Undefined quantity; extent; degree.
    There is a great measure of discretion to be used in the performance of confession.   --Jer. Taylor.
 9. Regulated division of movement: (a) Dancing A regulated movement corresponding to the time in which the accompanying music is performed; but, especially, a slow and stately dance, like the minuet. (b) Mus. (1) The group or grouping of beats, caused by the regular recurrence of accented beats. (2) The space between two bars. See Beat, Triple, Quadruple, Sextuple, Compound time, under Compound, a., and Figure. (c) Poetry The manner of ordering and combining the quantities, or long and short syllables; meter; rhythm; hence, a foot; as, a poem in iambic measure.
 10. Arith. A number which is contained in a given number a number of times without a remainder; as in the phrases, the common measure, the greatest common measure, etc., of two or more numbers; a denominator.  See common denominator under denominator.
 11. A step or definite part of a progressive course or policy; a means to an end; an act designed for the accomplishment of an object; as, political measures; prudent measures; an inefficient measure.
    His majesty found what wrong measures he had taken in the conferring that trust, and lamented his error.   --Clarendon.
 12. The act of measuring; measurement.
 13. pl. Geol. Beds or strata; as, coal measures; lead measures.
 linear measure, lineal measure, or long measure, measure of length; the measure of lines or distances.
 Liquid measure, the measure of liquids.
 Square measure, the measure of superficial area of surfaces in square units, as inches, feet, miles, etc.
 To have hard measure, to have harsh treatment meted out to one; to be harshly or oppressively dealt with.
 To take measures, to make preparations; to provide means.
 To take one's measure, to measure one, as for a garment; hence, to form an opinion of one's disposition, character, ability, etc.
 To tread a measure, to dance in the style so called. See 9 (a).
 Say to her, we have measured many miles
 To tread a measure with her on this grass.   --Shak.
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 long measure
      n : a measure of length [syn: linear measure]