Forms: 4, ? 6 lenger, (4 langer), 6 lyngar, -er, 6– linger. [Northern ME. lenger, frequentative of LENG v.: see -ER5.]
† 1. intr. To dwell, abide, stay (in a place). Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 604. Þer-for he gafe him to be-gin A luuesum land at lenger in. Ibid. (a. 1300), 1411. And leuer was [adam] siþen to lenger [Fairf. langer] in hell þan langer in þis liue to duell.
2. To stay behind, tarry, loiter on one’s way; to stay on or hang about in a place beyond the proper or usual time, esp. from reluctance to leave it.
1530. Palsgr., 612/1. I lyngar behynde my companye, I tarye behynde them, je targe.
1553. Eden, Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.), 27. Leaste any linger behynde his companie.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 313. A number of the Souldyours … came home agayne unpayde and lyngered and still hanged vpon the prince.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., IV. iv. 54. Then linger not, my Lord, away, take horse.
1594. Spenser, Amoretti, lxxxviii. And, in her songs, sends many a wishfull vow For his returne that seemes to linger late.
1667. Pepys, Diary, 30 June. They had no orders, and lay lingering upon the way.
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 254. They pretending they had lost their Way, but more truly lingred, not having us to spur them on.
1794. Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, i. In scenes like these she would often linger alone.
1816. Shelley, Alastor, 98. He would linger long In lonesome vales, making the wild his home.
1838. Lytton, Alice, 67. Evelyn could have lingered all day in the room.
1864. D. G. Mitchell, Sev. Stor., 245. The broken gentleman lingers for hours beside the portraits of the old Count.
1874. Green, Short Hist., ii. § 6. 94. The White Ship in which he had embarked lingered behind the rest of the royal fleet.
1893. G. E. Matheson, About Holland, 22. The Dutch trains do perhaps seem to linger somewhat on the way.
b. To proceed at a slow pace; to go lingeringly (down, past).
1826. Mrs. Shelley, Last Man, II. 130. Soon the dim orb passed from over the sun, and lingered down the eastern heaven.
1836–9. Dickens, Sk. Boz, Scenes, iii. (1892), 54. These men linger listlessly past. Ibid. (1840), Barn. Rudge, xvi. He was never lingering or loitering, but always walking swiftly.
1863. Hawthorne, Our Old Home (1879), 294. Lingering through one of the aisles.
c. fig. (with a prep. as on, over, round): To dwell upon, give protracted consideration to, be reluctant to quit (a subject).
1843. Ruskin, Mod. Paint. (1848), I. II. II. v. § 8. 193. Every one of those broad spaces she would linger over in protracted delight.
1844. Stanley, Arnold (1858), I. iv. 168. I linger round a subject.
1871. R. Ellis, trans. Catullus, lxiv. 117. Yet, for again I come to the former story, beseems not Linger on all done there.
3. ‘To remain long in languor and pain’ (J.); to continue alive, though oppressed by sickness or other distress. (Cf. LINGERING ppl. a. b.)
1534. [see LINGERING vbl. sb.].
1570. Levins, Manip., 78/23. To linger, languere.
1604. Shaks., Oth., V. ii. 88. I would not haue thee linger in thy paine. Ibid. (1607), Cor., III. iii. 89. Pent to linger But with a graine a day.
1819. Scott, Prose Wks., IV. Biographies II. (1870), 320. He lingered a few days, possessed of his senses, reconciled to his fate.
1882. J. H. Blunt. Ref. Ch. Eng., II. 251. He lingered as a prisoner of the Inquisition for sixteen years.
1898. Rider Haggard, Dr. Therne, 6. He lingered for nearly two years.
fig. 1781. Cowper, Hope, 723. When hope, long lingering, at last yields the ghost.
4. To be tardy in doing or beginning anything; to hesitate, delay; to dawdle. † Const. inf.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Matt. iii. 7–10. As they yt make hast are pertakers of health, so they that linger are al pertakers of peril.
1586. J. Hooker, Hist. Irel., in Holinshed, II. 16/1. The king … differed the time, and lingered to give any answer.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., III. ii. 58. We haue linger’d about a match betweene An Page, and my cozen Slender.
1611. Bible, 2 Pet. ii. 3. Whose iudgement now of a long time lingereth not [Gr. οὐκ ἀργεῖ].
1692. Dryden, Cleomenes, II. ii. 17. And if my Eyes have pow’r, He should not sue In vain, nor linger with a long delay.
1812. S. Rogers, Columbus, IV. 50. Oft the stern Catalan … Muttered dark threats, and linger’d to obey.
1851. Grote, Greece, VIII. 420. His accuser denounces him as having … designedly lingered in the business, for the purpose of prolonging the period of remuneration.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xix. IV. 268. By no remonstrance … could he prevail on his allies to be early in the field…. Every one of them lingered, and wondered why the rest were lingering.
1871. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), IV. xviii. 186. Either Malcolm lingered in his preparations, or [etc.].
5. fig., chiefly of immaterial things. a. To remain, to be slow to pass away or disappear; to stay or persist, though tending to wane and dwindle. To linger on, to continue to linger.
1764. Goldsm., Trav., 172. But winter lingering chills the lap of May.
1805. Wordsw., Waggoner, IV. 189. Nor could the waggon long survive, Which Benjamin had ceased to drive: It lingered on;—guide after guide Ambitiously the office tried.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xvi. III. 707. It is by no means improbable that this superstition … may still linger in a few obscure farm-houses.
1868. E. Edwards, Ralegh, I. xxii. 483. When the Plague had departed from most parts of London, it often lingered in the Tower.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 110. But he has still a doubt lingering in his mind.
b. To be slow in coming or accruing.
1842. Tennyson, Locksley Hall, 141. Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.
1863. Geo. Eliot, Romola, I. Introd. (1880), 9. The wages of men’s sins often linger in their payment.
1871. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), IV. xx. 593. When the sentence was once passed its execution did not linger.
c. Of actions or conditions: To be protracted (wearisomely or painfully), to drag on. (Cf. LINGERING ppl. a.)
[1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., I. i. 74. One would have lingring Warres, with little cost.]
1836. Thirlwall, Greece, III. xvii. 8. As the siege of Ithome lingered, the Spartans called on their allies for aid.
6. quasi-trans. a. with advb. compl. (forth, on, out): To draw out, prolong, protract by lingering, tarrying, or dallying. To linger away: to waste (time) by lingering.
1550. Latimer, Last Serm. bef. Edw. VI. (1562), 137. It shal cause things to haue good successe, and that matters shal not be lingred forth from daye to daye.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., I. ii. 265. I can get no remedy against this Consumption of the purse. Borrowing only lingers, and lingers it out, but the disease is incurable. Ibid. (1606), Tr. & Cr., V. x. 9. Let your briefe plagues be mercy, And linger not our sure destructions on.
1622. Massinger, Virg. Mart., II. iii. I’ll not insult on a base, humbled prey By lingering out thy terrors.
1695. Dryden, Death Mr. Purcell, 29. Now live secure, and linger out your days.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Praise Drunkenness, Wks. 1730, I. 36. The first linger away their lives in perpetual drudgery.
1721. Amherst, Terræ Filius, No. 34 (1754), 179. To prevent the scholars from ling’ring away their time, and neglecting their studies.
1829. Scott, Diary, 8 March, in Lockhart. Half measures do but linger out the feud.
1833. Lamb, Elia, Ser. II. Wedding. We all began to be afraid that a suit which as yet had abated none of its ardours, might at last be lingered on, till passion had time to cool.
1860. Froude, Hist. Eng., VI. 522. His policy, therefore, was for the present to linger out the negotiations.
1887. Lowell, Old Eng. Dram. (1892), 130. Ford lingers-out his heart-breaks too much.
b. To pass (life) sadly or wearily.
1725. Pope, Odyss., XIV. 411. Far from gay cities, and the ways of men, I linger life.
a. 1774. Goldsm., Hist. Greece, II. 239. They … left him to linger in this manner, unattended, the remains of his wretched life.
† 7. trans. To cause to linger; to prolong, protract, draw out (the time, a business, etc.); also, to delay, put off, defer. Obs.
1543. Grafton, Contn. Harding, 18. Edwarde … thoughte he wold not lynger his busines.
1556. T. Hoby, trans. Castiglione’s Courtyer, A iij b. I forbare and lingered the time to see if any [etc.].
1565. Jewel, Repl. Harding (1611), 307. The Bread, that our Lord gaue to his Disciples, he lingred it not [trans. L. non distulit], nor bad it to be kept vntill the morning.
a. 1568. Coverdale, Bk. Death, ii. 7. That wee by no occasion should linger ye amendment of our liues vntill age.
1584. Cogan, Haven Health (1636), 215. Wherefore I advise all men not to linger the time long in eating and drinking superfluously.
1604. Shaks., Oth., IV. ii. 231. He goes into Mauritania … vnlesse his abode be lingred heere by some accident.
1604. Edmonds, Observ. Cæsar’s Comm., 59. To linger and detract the war.
1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, IV. ii. § 3. 175. The Leigers … could not be perswaded to linger the time and stay their aduantage.
1632. Sanderson, Serm., 301. Secure ones may linger their repentance till it be too late.
1633. Ford, Broken H., IV. iv. To linger Pain, which I strive to cure, were to be cruel.
† b. To keep waiting, put off (a person). Also with off. Obs.
1534. More, Lett. to Marg. Roper, Wks. 1429/1. They were not lingered nor made to daunce any long attendance … as sutours were sometime wont to be.
1543. Grafton, Contn. Harding, 101. Then Henry spedely prepared him selfe because he would lynger his frendes no lenger.
1594. West, 2nd Pt. Symbol., § 35. Least the parties should … be long lingered with vaine hope of an endlesse end.
1606. G. W[oodcocke], Hist. Ivstine, XXI. 80. Hee sollicited the Affricks and the King of Mauritane for supply, being lingred off with delayes.
8. intr. To have a longing or craving, to hanker. Const. after; also (rarely) with infinitive.
1641. Best, Farm. Bks. (Surtees), 11. They [sc. tups] will beginne to linger after ewes and decline.
a. 1649. Winthrop, New Eng. (1853), I. 54. Such as fell into discontent, and lingered after their former condition in England.
1651. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., II. xxvii. (1739), 120. The Cardinal finding the King’s mind to linger after another Bedfellow.
a. 1682. Sir T. Browne, Tracts, 14. More remarkable it seems that they should extoll and linger after the Cucumbers and Leeks, Onions and Garlick in Ægypt.
1718. Motteux, Quix. (1733), I. 255. Thou lingerest with Impatience to exercise thy talking Faculty.
1893. Surrey Words (E.D.S.), s.v., Being used to hay makes them linger more after it.
