lunge
pronunciation
How to pronounce lunge in British English:
UK [lʌndʒ]
How to pronounce lunge in American English:
US [lʌndʒ]
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- Noun:
- the act of moving forward suddenly
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- Verb:
- make a thrusting forward movement
Word Origin
- lunge
- lunge: [18] ‘Length’ is the etymological notion underlying the word lunge. It comes ultimately from French allonger ‘lengthen’, a verb based on the adjective long ‘long’. Its fencing application derived, in French, from the idea of ‘extending one’s sword to strike a blow’. It was originally borrowed into English in the 17th century as allonge, but this was soon shortened to lunge.
- lunge (n.)
- 1735, "a thrust with a sword," originally a fencing term, shortened from allonge, from French allonger "to extend, thrust," from Old French alongier "to lengthen, make long," from à "to" + Old French long, from Latin longus "long" (see long (adj.)).
- lunge (v.)
- 1735 (implied in lunged), from lunge (n.). Sense of "to make a sudden forward rush" is from 1821. Related: Lunged; lunging.
Example
- 1. To thrust or lunge in fencing .
- 2. A lunge or thrustin fencing .
- 3. He made a lunge for the phone .
- 4. He made a lunge at the bully .
- 5. I lunge to catch it . She flails at me and her nails gouge my face .