along
pronunciation
How to pronounce along in British English:
UK [əˈlɒŋ]
How to pronounce along in American English:
US [əˈlɔːŋ]
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- Adverb:
- with a forward motion
- in accompaniment or as a companion
- to a more advanced state
- in addition (usually followed by `with')
- in line with a length or direction (often followed by `by' or `beside')
Word Origin
- along
- along: [OE] The a- in along is related to the prefix anti-, and the original notion contained in the word is of ‘extending a long way in the opposite direction’. This was the force of Old English andlang, a compound formed from and- ‘against, facing’ (whose original source was Greek anti- ‘against’) and lang ‘long’. The meaning gradually changed via simply ‘extending a long way’, through ‘continuous’ and ‘the whole length of something’ to ‘lengthwise’.At the same time the and- prefix was gradually losing its identity: by the 10th century the forms anlong and onlong were becoming established, and the 14th century saw the beginnings of modern English along. But there is another along entirely, nowadays dialectal. Used in the phrase along of ‘with’ (as in ‘Come along o’me!’), it derives from Old English gelong ‘pertaining, dependent’.This was a compound formed from the prefix ge-, suggesting suitability, and long, of which the notions of ‘pertaining’ and ‘appropriateness’ are preserved in modern English belong.=> long
- along (prep.)
- Old English andlang "entire, continuous; extended; all day long; alongside of," from and- "opposite, against" (from Proto-Germanic *andi-, *anda-, from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead;" see ante) + lang "long" (see long (adj.)). Sense extended to "through the whole length of."
Antonym
Example
- 1. Along the roof line there are 10 pointed cupolas .
- 2. It seems to have failed along three distinct edges .
- 3. Such charges are usually announced along with a settlement .
- 4. You will pick up relevant information along the way .
- 5. As a result , the days really moved along .