PROLONG

prolong, protract, extend, draw out

(verb) lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer; “We prolonged our stay”; “She extended her visit by another day”; “The meeting was drawn out until midnight”

prolong, sustain, keep up

(verb) lengthen or extend in duration or space; “We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible”; “prolong the treatment of the patient”; “keep up the good work”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

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

(transitive) To extend in space or length.

(transitive) To lengthen in time; to extend the duration of

Synonym: draw out

(transitive) To put off to a distant time; to postpone.

(intransitive) To become longer; lengthen.

Source: Wiktionary


Pro*long", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prolonged; p. pr. & vb. n. Prolonging.] Etym: [F. prolonger, L. prolongare; pro before, forth + longus long. See Long, a., and cf. Prolongate, Purloin. ]

1. To extend in space or length; as, to prolong a line.

2. To lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue; as, to prolong one's days. Prolong awhile the traitor's life. Shak. The unhappy queen with talk prolonged the night. Dryden.

3. To put off to a distant time; to postpone. Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

7 April 2025

SUPERFETATION

(noun) fertilization of a second ovum after a pregnancy has begun; results in two fetuses of different ages in the uterus at the same time; “superfetation is normal in some animal species”


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Coffee Trivia

The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.

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