longevity
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English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Early 17th century, learned borrowing from Latin longaevitās, from longaevus (“ancient, aged”) + -itās. The first part is related with English long and this association led to the alternative pronunciation with /ŋ/.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (UK) IPA(key): /lɒnˈd͡ʒɛv.ɪ.ti/, /lɒŋ-/
Audio (Southern England); /lɒnˈd͡ʒɛv.ɪ.ti/: (file) Audio (Southern England); /lɒŋˈd͡ʒɛv.ɪ.ti/: (file)
- (US, Canada) IPA(key): /lɑnˈd͡ʒɛv.ə.ti/, /lɔn-/, /lɔŋ-/, [ɫɑ̃nˈd͡ʒɛv.ə.ɾi], [ɫɔ̃n-], [ɫɔ̃ŋ-]
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /lɔŋˈd͡ʒev.ə.ti/, [lɔŋˈd͡ʒev.ə.ɾi]
Noun
[edit]longevity (countable and uncountable, plural longevities)
- The quality of being long-lasting, especially of life.
- Grandpa had incredible longevity: he lived to be 105 years old!
- 2020 July 1, David Allen, “Signalling from Leeds along the S&C”, in Rail, page 74:
- This 142-year-old tiny ex-LNWR SB [signal box, at Batley] is an amazing survivor, probably owing its longevity to its location alongside a level crossing. Indeed it started life as a gate box with the delightful name of Lady Ann's Crossing.
- Duration over time; persistence.
- 2018, James Lambert, “Anglo-Indian slang in dictionaries on historical principles”, in World Englishes, volume 37, page 255:
- A ‘postdating’ is an example of the use of a lexical item at a later date than currently recorded and these are important in establishing the longevity of use of a term and whether or not it has become obsolete.
Synonyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]the quality of being long-lasting, especially of life
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References
[edit]- “longevity”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ey- (life)
- English terms borrowed from Latin
- English learned borrowings from Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- en:Time