a. and adv. Obs. Also 3 lenguest, 4 lynguste. [OE. lęngest:—OTeut. *laŋgisto-, f. *laŋgo- LONG a.; cf. prec.]
A. adj. Longest, very long.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Mark xii. 40. Þa onfoð lengestne [Lindisf. lengra] dom.
c. 1290. Michael, 313, in S. Eng. Leg., 308. ‘Longueman’ hatte þe middleste [sc. finguer] for he lenguest is.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 256. And lengest lyf in hem lent of ledez alle oþer.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), VIII. 65. Arthures scheen boon … was lenger by þre ynches þan þe leg and þe kne of þe longest man þat was þoo i-founde.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 3776. A large man of lyms, lengest of stature.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., 133. Bi eeldist and lengist vce of bileeuyng in the Chirche.
1530. R. Whytford, Werke for Househ., A. The lengest lyfe of this worlde is very short.
B. adv. Longest.
a. 1000. O. E. Chron., an. 755 (Parker MS.). He hæfde þa oþ he ofsloʓ þone aldormon þe him lengest wunode.
a. 1250. Prov. Ælfred, 351, in O. E. Misc., 124. So me may þane loþe lengust lede.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 26652. Qua lenges [Fairf. langest] lijs in sin Vnnethes he mai þar-vte win.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 18. Rancour and euyl wille dwelliþ lengest amonges hem of alle oþere men.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), VII. 427. And wheþer of hem lyvede lengest [MS. γ lynguste] schulde be oþere heyre.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XVIII. xviii. They began fyrst and lengest endured.
