linger means A surname.
linger is pronounced /ˈlɪŋɡɚ/.
Why “linger” is a great word
To stay or remain in a place or situation, especially as if unwilling to depart or not easily able to do so. From Middle English *lengeren*, a frequentative of *lengen* ("to stay, dwell, tarry"), from Old English *lenġan* ("to lengthen, delay, extend"), from Proto-West Germanic *langijan*, from Proto-Germanic *langijaną* ("to lengthen"), related to the root of English *long*. Unlike "dawdle," which implies a deliberate, idle slowness, or "reside," which denotes a settled permanence, to linger is to be held in a state of passive suspension. It is the last warmth fading from a sunlit stone, the faint scent of perfume in an empty room, the way a final chord hangs in the silent air after the music has ended—a quiet, almost gravitational pull against the inevitable current of leaving.
Etymology
From Middle English lengeren, frequentative of lengen (“to stay, dwell, tarry”), from Old English lenġan (“to lengthen, delay, extend”), from Proto-West Germanic *langijan, from Proto-Germanic *langijaną (compare West Frisian lingje (“to linger”), Dutch lengen, German längen, Icelandic lengja (“to lengthen”)), related to the root of English long. Equivalent to linge or long + -er (frequentative verb suffix).
verb
- To stay or remain in a place or situation, especially as if unwilling to depart or not easily able to do so.
- To remain alive or existent although still proceeding toward death or extinction; to die gradually.e.g.“He lingered through the day, and died that evening as the sun went down.”
- To consider or contemplate for a period of time; to engage in analytic thinking or discussion.e.g.“Trump doesn't linger on the poll.”
Words closest in meaning
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