(lôngˈlīvdˈ, -lĭvdˈ, lŏngˈ-)
adjective- Having a long life: a long-lived aunt.
- Lasting a long time; persistent: a long-lived rumor.
- Functioning a long time; durable: a long-lived light bulb.
Related Forms:
Word History: Some uncertainty exists as to the correct pronunciation of
long-lived. Should one say (lôngˈlīvdˈ) or (lôngˈlĭvdˈ)? The answer depends in part on how one looks at the word. Historically, the first pronunciation is the more accurate. The word was formed in Middle English times as a compound of
long and the noun
life, plus the suffix
-ed. This suffix, though identical in form to the past tense suffix, has a different function: to form adjectives from nouns, as in the words
hook-nosed, ruddy-faced, and
round-shouldered. (Note that English has no verbs such as “to hook-nose,” and “to ruddy-face,” that would have formed participial adjectives ending in
-ed.) In Middle English, the suffix
-ed was always pronounced as a full syllable, so
long-lifed (as it was then spelled) had three syllables. The
f in the middle, by a rule of earlier English phonology, was voiced between the two vowels to (v); eventually, the spelling became
long-lived to reflect the pronunciation. (We see the same alternation in
life and
lives; in Middle English,
lives had two syllables just like
-lived.) However, this new spelling introduced an ambiguity; it was no longer clear from the spelling that the word came from the noun
life, but rather looked as though it came from the verb
live. In this way a second pronunciation, (lôngˈlĭvdˈ), was introduced.
