longing means an earnest and deep, not greatly passionate, but rather melancholic desire. It carries an Arena rating of 1513, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, longing ranks #1,225 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #2,159 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,590 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,300 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
longing is pronounced /ˈlɒŋɪŋ/.
Why “longing” is a great word
An earnest, deep, and often melancholic desire for something. From Middle English *longinge, langynge*, from Old English *longung, langung* ("longing, desire"), from Proto-Germanic *langungō, gerund of Proto-Germanic *langōną* ("to desire, long for"), equivalent to long (verb) + -ing (gerund ending), first recorded before 1000. Unlike "yearning," which burns with restless urgency, or "craving," which pulses with immediate, bodily need, longing is a quieter, more persistent ache—the durable residue of an absence that has learned to live within you. It is the scent of petrichor that conjures a forgotten childhood home, the silhouette of a ship disappearing over the horizon at dusk, or the specific silence of an empty chair at a familiar table. The heart, against all practical instruction, keeps its accounts in hope rather than currency.
Etymology
From Middle English longinge, langynge, from Old English longung, langung (“longing, desire”), from Proto-Germanic *langungō, gerund of Proto-Germanic *langōną (“to desire, long for”), equivalent to long + -ing (gerund ending).
noun
- An earnest and deep, not greatly passionate, but rather melancholic desire.e.g.“all natural lovings and longings” — 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 132, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
- The buying of a financial instrument with the expectation that its value will rise.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).