Long vs Small - What's the difference?

In obsolete terms the difference between long and small

is that long is occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away while small is to a small extent.

In intransitive terms the difference between long and small

is that long is to await, to aspire, to desire greatly (something to occur or to be true while small is to become small; to dwindle.

As adjectives the difference between long and small

is that long is having much distance from one terminating point on an object or an area to another terminating point usually applies to horizontal dimensions; see Usage Notes below while small is not large or big; insignificant; few in numbers or size.

As adverbs the difference between long and small

is that long is over a great distance in space while small is in a small fashion.

As nouns the difference between long and small

is that long is a long vowel while small is any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.

As verbs the difference between long and small

is that long is to take a long position in while small is to make little or less.

As proper nouns the difference between long and small

is that long is {{surname|from=nicknames}} Originally a nickname for a tall man while Small is {{surname}.

long

English

(wikipedia long)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) long, lang, from (etyl) longe, long, .

Adjective

(er)

Having much distance from one terminating point on an object or an area to another terminating point .

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.}}

*{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)

, chapter=17 citation , passage=The face which emerged was not reassuring. […]. He was not a mongol but there was a deficiency of a sort there, and it was not made more pretty by a latter-day hair cut which involved eccentrically long elf-locks and oiled black curls.}}

Having great duration.

*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Out of the gloom , passage=[Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.}}

Seemingly lasting a lot of time, because it is boring or tedious or tiring.

*1877 , (Anna Sewell), (Black Beauty), Chapter 23

*:What I suffered with that rein for four long months in my lady's carriage, it would be hard to describe, but I am quite sure that, had it lasted much longer, either my health or my temper would have given way.

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2 , passage=I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.}}

Not short; tall.

*:The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it.

(label) Possessing or owning stocks, bonds, commodities or other financial instruments with the aim of benefiting of the expected rise in their value.

(label) Of a fielding position, close to the boundary (or closer to the boundary than the equivalent short position).

That land beyond the baseline (and therefore is out ).

(label) Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.

*(Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)

*:That we may us reserve both fresh and strong / Against the tournament, which is not long .

Usage notes

* Wide'' is usually used instead of ''long when referring to a horizontal dimension (left to right). * Tall'' or ''high'' are usually used instead of ''long'' when referring to positive vertical dimension (upwards), and ''deep when referring to negative vertical dimension (downwards).

Synonyms

* (having much distance from one point to another) deep (vertically downwards), extended, high (vertically upwards), lengthy, tall * (having great duration) extended, lengthy, prolonged

Antonyms

* (having much distance from one point to another) low (vertically upwards), shallow (vertically upwards or downwards), short * (having great duration) brief, short * (finance) short

Derived terms

* * as the day is long * daylong, dayslong * long arm of the law * long game * long gun * longhand * long-haul * long paddock * long pig * long row to hoe * long shot * long vehicle * long-waisted * long white radish * the long and short * yearlong, yearslong

Adverb

(er)

Over a great distance in space.

For a particular duration.

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= David Van Tassel], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/lee-dehaan Lee DeHaan

, title= Wild Plants to the Rescue , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Plant breeding is always a numbers game.

For a long duration.

* 1594 , (William Shakespeare), i 3

I stay too long : but here my father comes.

*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Michael Arlen), title= “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, chapter=Ep./4/2

, passage=The world was awake to the 2nd of May, but Mayfair is not the world, and even the menials of Mayfair lie long abed.}}

Synonyms

* (over a great distance) a long way, far * (for a long duration) a long time

Antonyms

* (over a great distance) a short distance, a short way * (for a long duration) an instant, a minute, a moment, a second, a short time, not long

Noun

(en noun)

(linguistics) A long vowel.

(programming) A long integer variable, twice the size of an int or a short and half of a long long.

A long is typically 64 bits in a 32-bit environment.

(finance) An entity with a long position in an asset.

Every uptick made the longs cheer.

(music) A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.

Verb

(en verb)

(finance) To take a long position in.

Etymology 2

From (etyl) longen, from (etyl) .

Verb

(en verb)

To await, to aspire, to desire greatly (something to occur or to be true)

She longed for him to come back.

* 1922 , (Margery Williams), (The Velveteen Rabbit)

The Rabbit sighed. He thought it would be a long time before this magic called Real happened to him. He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; and yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad.

Usage notes

* This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See

Synonyms

* (desire greatly) ache, yearn

Derived terms

* longing

Etymology 3

Aphetic form of (etyl) gelang; the verb later reinterpreted as an aphetic form of belong.

Adjective

(-)

(archaic) On account of, because of.

* 1603 , (John Florio), translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays , II.8:

I am of opinion that in regard of these debauches and lewd actions, fathers may, in some sort, be blamed, and that it is only long of them.

Verb

(en verb)

(archaic) To be appropriate to, to pertain or belong to.

* 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , III.3:

A goodly Armour, and full rich aray, / Which long'd to Angela, the Saxon Queene, / All fretted round with gold, and goodly wel beseene.

* about 1591 , (William Shakespeare), The Taming of the Shrew , IV, 4:

Tis well, and hold your owne in any case / With such austeritie as longeth to a father.

Statistics

* 1000 English basic words English control verbs ----

small

English

Adjective

(er)

Not large or big; insignificant; few in numbers or size.

* , chapter=5

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.}}

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=70, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Engineers of a different kind , passage=Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.}}

(figuratively) Young, as a child.

(writing, incomparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written letters.

Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.

* Carlyle

A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.

Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.

a small space of time

Synonyms

* (not large or big) little, microscopic, minuscule, minute, tiny; see also * little, wee (Scottish), young * (of written letters) lowercase, minuscule

Antonyms

* See also * (not large or big) capital, big, generous (said of an amount of something given), large * adult, grown-up, old * (of written letters) big, capital, majuscule, uppercase

Derived terms

* small arm * small arms * small beer * small calorie * small-cell lung cancer * small change * small claims court * smallclothes * smaller European elm bark beetle * small forward * small fry * smallgoods * smallholder * smallholding * small hours * small intestine * smallish * small-minded * smallmouth * smallmouth bass * smallmouth black bass * smallness * small potatoes * smallpox * smalls * small-scale * small screen * small stuff * smallsword * small talk * small-time * * small wonder * twice as small * twice as small as

Adverb

(er)

In a small fashion.

* (William Shakespeare), (w, A Midsummer Night's Dream) , Act I, scene 2, line 49:

That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and / you may speak as small as you will.

In or into small pieces.

* 2009 , Ingrid Hoffman, CBS Early Morning for September 28, 2009 (transcription)

That's going to go in there. We've got some chives small chopped as well.

(obsolete) To a small extent.

* (rfdate) (William Shakespeare), Sonnets , "Lucrece", line 1273

It small avails my mood.

Derived terms

* writ small

Noun

(en noun)

Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.

(UK, in the plural) Underclothes.

Derived terms

* small of the back

Verb

(en verb)

(obsolete) To make little or less.

To become small; to dwindle.

* Thomas Hardy

And smalled till she was nought at all.

Statistics

Anagrams

* malls 100 English basic words 1000 English basic words ----