Length

Definition: Length

Length

Noun

1. The linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest horizontal dimension of something that is fixed in place; "the length of the table was 5 feet".

2. Continuance in time; "the ceremony was of short duration"; "he complained about the length of time required".

3. The property of being the extent of something from beginning to end; "the editor limited the length of my article to 500 words".

4. Size of the gap between two places; "the distance from New York to Chicago"; "he determined the length of the shortest line segment joining the two points".

5. A section of something that is long and narrow; "a length of timber"; "a length of tubing".

Date "length" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Specialty Definition: Length

Domain	Definition
Aerospace	Specifically, the dimension of an aircraft, rocket, etc., from nose to tail; the measure of this dimension. Compare span.Symbol l. (references)
Computing	The number of bits or other characters in a word. Source: European Union. (references)
Food & Agriculture	The principal longitudinal dimension of the hull of a ship. It can be defined in a number of ways, e. g. length overall(LOA); length between perpendiculars(L); length on waterline(L), etc. Source: European Union. (references)
Hydrologic	The distance in the direction of flow between two specific points along a river, stream, or channel. (references)
Literature	Length (A). Forty-two lines. This is a theatrical term; an actor says he has one, two, or more lengths in his part, and, if written out for him, the scribe is paid by the length. Source: Brewer's Dictionary.
Metallurgy	A semifinished hot rolled product rolled from an ingot on a slabbing or blooming mill, and intended for further rolling into plate, sheet or other flat product. Source: European Union. (references)
Public Administration	A standard 50-foot section of hose. Source: European Union. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted.
Entry	Source	Expression	Field
LEN	English	Length	Meteorology & Standards, Transportation
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Space	Dimension, length; distance; size; volume; hypervolume.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Domain	Usage
Screenplays	We called him Mother Superior on account of the length of his habit (Trainspotting; writing credit: Irvine Welsh; John Hodge) If I wanted smoke blown up my ass, I'd be at home with a pack of cigarettes and a short length of hose (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge) And know this -- if you fail, I will follow you the length of my days (Ladyhawke; writing credit: Edward Khmara) Objection! What length of time should she have spent (Vérité, La; writing credit: Henri-Georges Clouzot; Véra Clouzot) They can't go jumping up and down on a love length. (Phoenix Nights; writing credit: Neil Fitzmaurice; Peter Kay)
Lyrics	Prada, Gucci full length leather, Burbons cool, (Still Fly; performing artist: Big Tymers) I ain't asking for no full length mink (RAISED ON ROBBERY; performing artist: Joni Mitchell) So that all Asparagus would grow to the same girth and length, (Mephisto and Kevin; performing artist: Primus)
Clever	There are three dimensions to credit cards: length, width, and debt. (references; author: unknown) The love of parents for their child is measured by the length they will go to compete with the world for the love of that child. (references; author: unknown)
Movie/TV Titles	The Quest for Length (2002)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Domain	Title
References	The World Market for Textile Wadding Materials, Fibers of Less Than 5 mm in Length, Flock, Dust, and Mill Neps: A 2004 Global Trade Perspective (reference) (more reference examples)

Books	Bali Trilogy : Three Full Length Travel Guidebooks to Bali, Java, and Borneo, Indonesia (reference) Effective Length and Notional Load Approaches for Assessing Frame Stability: Implications for American Steel Design (reference) Full Length Roof Framer (reference) Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels Under 61 Meters (200 Feet in Length) (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	Pediatric Length Of Stay By Diagnosis & Operation (reference) (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies	100 Centre Street: The Feature Length Premiere Episode (reference) Wave Length (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	10.21 Full Length CD (reference) Stroking The Full Length [EP] [CD-Extra] [EP] (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech	HOSA FIBER-OPTIC CABLE, 50 ft. NEW LENGTH! TOSLINK-TYPE (reference) PEERLESS EXT-102 Fixed Length Extension Columns for JMC Series Ceiling Mounts - 2 (reference) PEERLESS EXT-104 Fixed Length Extension Columns for JMC Series Ceiling Mounts - 4 (reference) (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Consumer Goods	DeWalt DW7051 Length Stops (for DW705, DW708) (reference) (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	An older woman in a magenta blouse stands in front of a full length mirror. See artwork: GR-42. Credit: Bill Branson (photographer).		T. pallidum, a spirochete 5-15 micrometers in length, is the causative agent of syphilis. The rate of primary and secondary syphilis in the U.S. declined by 89.2 percent from 1990 to 2000. However, cases rose from 5,979 in 2000 to 6,103 in 2001. Credit: CDC.
	From a lateral view, one is able to identify the cellular components along the length of a T. pallidum bacterium, which give this spiral bacterium (spirochete) a unique cellular morphology, and mode of motility. Credit: CDC.		Measuring through house on Pasadena Base Line selected to pass through window and out other side Base line length was over 20 miles Base line party of Clement L. Garner. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.
	A cloudy day at Tigvariak - length of beard indicates nearing end of season Andrew F. "Pierre" Menard with beard. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.		Measuring the length of a bluefin tuna. Credit: Fisheries.
	Volunteers rush to bring an injured bird to the boat that will transport the pelican to wildlife rehabilitators who will attempt to resuscitate the bird. Successful rehabilitation depends upon a number of factors including the length of entanglement and exposure to the elements. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center.		Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Close-up of a Golden Silk female spider. The females of this species can range between 30 to 40 mm in length. The smaller males, two seen on the other side of the web in this photo, are only 4-6 mm long. These spiders feed primarily on flying insects. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR).
	Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Shiner Perch, Cymtogaster aggregata, is found in shallow waters during summer months and in waters up to 146 meters in the winter. Body length is up to 21 cm with females growing larger than males. The body is bright silver with broken longitudinal dark stripes separated by three vertical yellow bars. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR).		Underwater tape recorders were used to record the number and size of each fish species on a set transect. A conversion table was used to convert estimated length of fish to estimated weight. Credit: The Coral Kingdom.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.


"Red-eared slider" by Bobbie Osborne Commentary: "Trachemys scripta elegans Sliders, especially the red-eared, have been heavily collected for the pet trade and are sold by the millions in pet shops across the world. Because of unsanitary conditions and a lack of knowledge on turtle care, few survive fo"	"Chichén Itza Ballcourt" by Luis Alves Commentary: "The Mayans were great sportsmen and build huge ballcourts to play their games. The Great Ballcourt of Chichén Itzá is 545 feet long and 225 feet wide overall. It has no vault, no discontinuity between the walls and is totally open to the sky. Each end has"
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

Author	Quotation
Author Unknown	If your sword's too short, add to its length by taking one step forward.
Benjamin Franklin	I hope...that mankind will at length, as they call themselves reasonable creatures, have reason and sense enough to settle their differences without cutting throats; for in my opinion there never was a good war, or a bad peace.
Charles De Montesquieu	What orators lack in depth, they make up to you in length.
Christian Nevell Bovee	Genius makes its observations in short-hand; talent writes them out at length.
Edmund Waller	If its length be not considered a merit, it hath no other.
Martial	You complain, friend Swift, of the length of my epigrams, but you yourself write nothing. Yours are shorter.
Thomas Carlyle	Man seldom, or rather never, for a length of time deliberately rebels against anything that does not deserve rebelling against.
Thomas Jefferson	He who permits himself to tell a lie once finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time till at length it becomes habitual.
	He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lieswithout attending to it, and truth without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Author	Date	Quotation
John Locke	1690	The bonds of this subjection are like the swaddling clothes they art wrapt up in, and supported by, in the weakness of their infancy: age and reason as they grow up, loosen them, till at length they drop quite off, and leave a man at his own free disposal. (Second Treatise of Government)
Communist Manifesto	1848	It went to the extreme length of directly opposing the "brutally destructive" tendency of Communism, and of proclaiming its supreme and impartial contempt of all class struggles. (reference)
Treaty of Versailles	1919	The railway and other bridges across the Rhine now existing within the limits of Alsace-Lorraine shall, as to all their parts and their whole length, be the property of the French State, which shall ensure their upkeep. (reference)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Title	Author	Quote
Tangled Tale	Carroll, Lewis	He says that the square root of 3630, multiplied by 2, equals the length plus the breadth
A Christmas Carol	Dickens, Charles	At length it broke upon his listening ear.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy	Douglas Adams	There was something very slightly odd about him, but it was difficult to say what it was. Perhaps it was that his eyes didn't blink often enough and when you talked to him for any length of time your eyes began involuntarily to water on his behalf
Scarlet Letter	Hawthorne, Nathaniel	By an accurate measurement, each limb proved to be precisely three inches and a quarter in length.
Les Miserables	Hugo, Victor	Stretched himself on it at full length, and there his strength failed him.
Grapes of Wrath	Steinbeck, John	The three men stretched out at full length and propped themselves on their elbows
Gulliver's Travels	Swift, Jonathan	When he alighted, he surveyed me round with great admiration, but kept without the length of my chain
Walden	Thoreau, Henry David	The faintest assured objection which one healthy man feels will at length prevail over the arguments and customs of mankind
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		Often they are only a few pages in length. (references)
		Length of time that all samples will be stored. (references)
		The spinal cord is organized into segments along its length. (references)
Business		There is a navigable Labe-Vltava waterway 303 km in length. (references)
		They can also house inflatable boats (dinguies) up to 12 feet in length. (references)
		Differences depend on the first deposit and the length of the lease contract. (references)
Children	Uzbekistan	Nine years of formal schooling are compulsory, and the average length of schooling is over 11 years. (references)
	Ghana	Trokosi shrines all follow these general practices; however, specific practices, such as the length of indoctrination, the exact nature of the ritual instruction, and the requirements for the release rites, vary from shrine to shrine and district to district. (references)
Civil Liberties	Costa Rica	A 1996 "right of response" law provides persons criticized in the media with an opportunity to reply with equal attention and at equal length. (references)
Economic History	Hong Kong	It will have two stations and a total length of 7.4 km. (references)
	Latvia	Climate: Temperate, with four seasons of almost equal length. (references)
	Uae	Total length of GCC grid will be about 1,100 KM of which 800 km will be in KSA. (references)
Human Rights	Macedonia	The maximum length of pretrial detention is 180 days. (references)
	Burundi	Limits on the length of pretrial detention were not respected. (references)
	Czech Republic	In 2000 the average length of pretrial detention was 107 days. (references)
Political Economy	Sudan	Refugees could not become resident aliens or citizens, regardless of their length of stay in the country. (references)
	Mauritania	Pretrial detention continued; however, the length of pretrial detentions was shorter due to improved organization of the courts. (references)
	KUWAIT	In practice, the Kuwait Trade Union Federation claims that this restriction is not enforced and that foreigners may join unions regardless of their length of stay. (references)
Political Rights	Malaysia	Opposition leaders stated that Prime Minister Mahathir's remark that same month that the Government would "not entertain" an opposition demand for a long campaign period in upcoming elections demonstrated the lack of independence of the Election Commission (the Commission has the sole power to set the length of the campaign period). (references)
Trade	Luxembourg	Export guarantees can be given to cover payment over any length of time. (references)
	Italy	Until 1993, the Italian banking system was divided into two categories, differentiated by length of lending authorized. (references)
Travel	Senegal	The rent varies depending upon the location and the length of the lease. (references)
	Egypt	Don't always expect the terms of a contract to remain the same during its length. (references)
	Panama	Taxi fares are low and usually range from one to five dollars depending on the trip's length. (references)
Women	Senegal	The legislation also increased the potential fine for domestic violence to $650 (500,000 CFA francs) and the length of imprisonment for domestic violence to 5 years. (references)
	Belarus	At a roundtable in April 2000 on "The Problem of the Trade in Women in Belarus," it was reported that the average length of unemployment for women was more than 18 months, versus 5 months for men. (references)
Worker Rights	Afghanistan	Others reportedly have been fired for violating Taliban regulations concerning beard length. (references)
Lexicography	Devil's Dictionary	LYRE, n. An ancient instrument of torture. The word is now used in a figurative sense to denote the poetic faculty, as in the following fiery lines of our great poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox: I sit astride Parnassus with my lyre, And pick with care the disobedient wire. That stupid shepherd lolling on his crook With deaf attention scarcely deigns to look. I bide my time, and it shall come at length, When, with a Titan's energy and strength, I'll grab a fistful of the strings, and O, The word shall suffer when I let them go! Farquharson Harris M
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Speaker	Term	Phrase(s)
George Washington	1789-1797	But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism.
John Adams	1797-1801	The existence of such a government as ours for any length of time is a full proof of a general dissemination of knowledge and virtue throughout the whole body of the people.
Thomas Jefferson	1801-1809	I have therefore found it necessary at length to give orders to our troops on that frontier to be in readiness to protect our citizens, and to repel by arms any similar aggressions in future.
James Madison	1809-1817	Time has at length revealed the true remedy.
James Monroe	1817-1825	War became at length inevitable, and the result has shown that our Government is equal to that, the greatest of trials, under the most unfavorable circumstances.
Martin van Buren	1837-1841	May it be among the dispensations of His providence to bless our beloved country with honors and with length of days.
Jimmy Carter	1977-1981	Throughout the service, we are putting into place the means to assure that reward and retention are based on performance and not simply on length of time on the job.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	100%	7,163	1,356

Expressions using "length": A butt's length ♦ alphabet length ♦ an unreasonable length of time ♦ arms length ♦ Arm's length ♦ At arm's length ♦ at full length ♦ at great length ♦ at length ♦ at some length ♦ average length of line operated throughout the year ♦ average run length ♦ average sample run length ♦ balanced field length ♦ ballistic length ♦ base length ♦ Bishop's length ♦ body length ♦ by a length ♦ cable length ♦ Cable's length ♦ calibrated focal length ♦ channel selected basic length ♦ coherence length ♦ coherent length ♦ column length ♦ conventional bond length Ls ♦ courses per unit length ♦ Crown-Rump Length ♦ defining length ♦ defining length of schema ♦ drag its slow length along ♦ drag its weary length along ♦ drawn gate length ♦ effective focal length ♦ equivalent focal length ♦ extrinsic Debye length ♦ feature length ♦ flame length ♦ Focal distance or length of a lens or mirror ♦ focal length ♦ for any length of time ♦ full length ♦ full length portrait ♦ gate length ♦ go into a subject at length ♦ go the whole length ♦ in great length ♦ in length ♦ keep arm's length ♦ keep at arm's length ♦ keep smb. at an arm's length ♦ keep smb. at arm's length ♦ Leg Length Inequality ♦ length and breadth of ♦ length and breadth of the land ♦ length film ♦ length indicator field extension bit ♦ length mark ♦ length of chord of aerofoil ♦ length of cloth ♦ length of coherence ♦ length of life ♦ length of material ♦ length of service ♦ Length of Stay ♦ length stop ♦ line length ♦ measure of length ♦ measure one's length ♦ medium length ♦ metallurgical length ♦ nominal focal length ♦ number of threads per unit length ♦ of some length ♦ patterned gate length ♦ projected gap length ♦ restriction fragment length polymorphism ♦ runway basic length ♦ second length ♦ size of a length ♦ skirt length ♦ speak at length ♦ talk at length ♦ To keep at arm's length ♦ To work at arm's length ♦ tuft leg length ♦ tuft length ♦ unequal in length ♦ unit of length ♦ wave length ♦ win by a length. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "length": length-and-ahalf, length-and-a-half, length-brown, length-in, length-mark, length-of-beak, length-of-feathers, length-time, length-to-diameter, length-to-radius, length-ways, length-width, length-wise.
	Ending with "length": ankle-length, arm's-length, arms-length, body-length, bond-length, book-length, calf-length, collar-length, cycle-length, day-length, double-length, eight-length, elbow-length, feature-length, fixed-length, floor-length, four-length, hip-length, mid-length, one-length, over-length, seven-length, single-length, six-length, ten-length, thigh-length, three-quarter-length, turn-length, variable-length, waist-length, wave-length.
	Containing "length": cycle-length-based, feature-length film, full-length film, full-length slip, half-length coat, half-length portrait, half-length sheepskin coat, knee-length skirt, run-length encoding, wave-length scale, zero-length launching.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language		Translations for "length"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Afrikaans		lengte. (various references)

Albanian		pjesë (allotment, block, Cantel, Cantle, component, contingent, deal, divvy, helping, interest, kit, leg, limb, line, lot, part, partition, patch, piece, portion, proportion, quantum, quota, quotient, rate, scrap, section, segment, share, slice, snack, span), metrazh, kohëzgjatje (continuance, duration), gjatësi trupore (stature), gjatësi (endurance, height, longitude, space). (various references)

Arabic		طول (size), ‏مدى (ambit, amplitude, carry, extent, gage, gauge, incidence, latitude, ocean, range, reach, scope, space, stretch, sweep), ‏طول (be extended, be prolonged, drag, extent, lengthen, livelong, longitude, tallness), ‏إمتداد (expansion, extension, extent, lengthiness, propagation, protraction, reach, span, spread, stretch, sweep). (various references)

Bulgarian		степен (degree, exponent, extent, gradations, grade, magnitude, notch, order, peg, pitch, power, prairie, rate, remove), разстояние (distance, expanse, fetch, interval, range, remove, space, step, way), къс (brief, cob, fraction, fragment, fritter, jimp, little, morsel, patch, piece, portion, scrimpy, short, skimpy, slip, slipping), времетраене (continuance, duration, endurance, span, standing), време (date, day, occasion, tide, time, weather, when, while), обсег (ambit, amplitude, area, coverage, extent, field, incidence, orb, purview, radius, range, reach, scope, shot, spread, swing), протежение (expanse, extent, reach, run, spread, stretch, sweep), дължина (extent, longitude, quantity, run, shot). (various references)

Chinese		長短 (duration), 長度 , 長 (always, chief, constantly, elder, forever, head, long, to develop, to grow), 长宽, 袤 (distance from north to south), 篇幅 (ink, space, time), 梴 (long). (various references)

Czech		vzdálenost (distance, journey, remoteness, space, spacing), trvání (continuance, duration, persistence, standing, subsistence), metráž, dílec, délka (run). (various references)

Danish		længd. (various references)

Dutch		lengte (longitude), langdurigheid. (various references)

Esperanto		longo, longeco. (various references)

Farsi		مدت (Duration, Interval, Life, Outage, Patch, Period, Stretch, Term, Time, Tract, Usance), قد (Size, Stature), طول (Abscissa), درجه (Alloy, Degree, Gauge, Gradation, Grade, Mark, Measure, Peg, Point, Proportion, Stair, Step, Thermometer), درازا (Longitude). (various references)

Finnish		pituus (height). (various references)

French		longueur (lengthiness). (various references)

Frisian		lingte. (various references)

German		länge (duration, extent, footage, height, largeness, len, long, long-drawn-out passage, longitude, tallness), umfang (amount, area, bulk, capacity, circumference, compass, complexity, comprehensiveness, dimension, elaborateness, extend, extent, fatness, girt, girth, heaviness, largeness, perimeter, periphery, range, scale, scope, size, span, spread, thoroughness, volume). (various references)

Greek		μήκος (l, longitude). (various references)

Hebrew		משך (continuity, drawing, duration, prolongation, run, span, stretch, term), אורך, אריכות (lengthiness), ארך (duration, longitude, span). (various references)

Hungarian		hosszúság (footage, lengthiness, longitude), tartam (continuance, durance, duration, endurance, period, standing, stretch), hossz (bulge, long). (various references)

Icelandic		lengd. (various references)

Indonesian		panjangnya, panjang (long), kepanjangan (continuation, dutation, too long). (various references)

Irish		fhad (distance), fad (extent). (various references)

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
medium length hair style	700	movie full length download	57
shoulder length hair style	182	full length porn	55
average penis length	159	golf club length	54
penis length	151	free full length xxx movie	52
free full length porn movie	149	length random	50
free full length movie	146	free full length porn video	45
medium length hair cut	145	full length porn movie	43
full length movie	123	tea length dress	43
length conversion	104	arc length	41
free full length movie downloads	103	great length hair extension	39
full length mirror	103	focal length	37
full length	98	free adult full length movie	35
length	83	hair length medium	34
free full length movie download	81	american full length lyrics reject remix swing swing	33
hair style for medium length hair	78	thigh length boot	32
free full length sex movie	70	free full length sex video	29
free full length porn	67	length converter	28
full length wavs	67	full length song wavs	28
great length	66	hair length mid style	27
free full length movie online	58	free gay full length movie	26
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Length

Definition: Length

Length

Noun

Specialty Definition: Length

Specialty Definition: Length

External links

Long vowel

Orders of magnitude (length)

Abbreviations & Acronyms: Length

Synonyms: Length

Synonyms within Context: Length

Space

Crosswords: Length

Modern Usage: Length

Screenplays

Lyrics

Clever

Movie/TV Titles

Commercial Usage: Length

References

Books

Periodicals

Theater & Movies

Music

High Tech

Consumer Goods

Image Slideshow: Length

Photos:Length

Computer Images:Length

Photo Album: Length

Digital Photo Gallery: Length

Familiar Quotations: Length

Author Unknown

Benjamin Franklin

Charles De Montesquieu

Christian Nevell Bovee

Edmund Waller

Martial

Thomas Carlyle

Thomas Jefferson

Historic Usage: Length

John Locke

Communist Manifesto

Treaty of Versailles

Use in Literature: Length

Tangled Tale

Carroll, Lewis

A Christmas Carol

Dickens, Charles

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne, Nathaniel

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck, John

Gulliver's Travels

Swift, Jonathan

Walden

Thoreau, Henry David

Non-Fiction Usage: Length

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

Speeches: Length

George Washington

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

James Monroe

Martin van Buren

Jimmy Carter

Usage Frequency: Length

Expressions: Length

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Length

Photos:
Length

Computer Images:
Length