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| length [ length ] (plural lengths) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. distance from end to end: the distance along something from end to end, or a measurement taken of this distance
 The length of the garden is 25 yards.
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2. quality of being long: the condition or state of being long
 The garden is designed to give a sense of length and openness.
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3. how long something takes: the time something lasts or takes from beginning to end
 The length of the second act is about 75 minutes.
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4. size from beginning to end: the extent of something from beginning to end
 The second volume is a massive 400 pages in length.
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5. long piece of something: a piece of something long and narrow
 a length of copper piping
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6. unit of measurement: a piece of something such as cloth that is measured or bought in units of a standard size
 bought three lengths of fabric
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7. swimming end to end in swimming pool: the distance from one end of a swimming pool to the other
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8. fashion how long garment is: how high the hem of a coat, skirt, or dress is above the ground or below the wearer's waist, or how much of the wearer's legs it shows
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9. sports winning distance: in something such as a boat race or horse race, the distance between two competitors, measured according to how long a single boat or horse is
 two lengths ahead with only 100 yards to go
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10. phonetics how long sound takes to make: the amount of time required to articulate a vowel or syllable
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| [ Old English lengþ< Germanic] |
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at length
1. in great detail and for a long time
2. after some time or following a delay
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