linger

From Middle English lenger, lengeren, frequentative of lengen (“to tarry”), from Old Norse lengja (“to lengthen”), from Proto-Germanic *langijaną (compare Dutch lengen, German längen), related to the root of long.

• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡə(r)

linger (third-person singular simple present lingers, present participle lingering, simple past and past participle lingered)

1. (intransitive) To stay or remain in a place or situation, especially as if unwilling to depart or not easily able to do so; to loiter.
   • c. 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act II scene ix:

     Still more fool I shall appear

     By the time I linger here:

     With one fool's head I came to woo,

     But I go away with two.

     Sweet, adieu. I'll keep my oath,

     Patiently to bear my wroth.

   • 1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, ch. 15:

     His tone lingered in the air, almost like the tone of a musical instrument.

   • 1891, Edith Wharton, "Mrs. Manstey's View":

     She lingered in the window.

   • 2011 April 25, Alice Park, "Upgrading the Disaster," Time:

     It takes into account . . . predictions of how long radioactive contaminants will linger in the soil and water near the nuclear facility.

   • 2016 January 30, "Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Nomination," The New York Times (retrieved 30 January 2016):

     Mrs. Clinton’s main opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist, has proved to be more formidable than most people, including Mrs. Clinton, anticipated. He has brought income inequality and the lingering pain of the middle class to center stage and pushed Mrs. Clinton a bit more to the left than she might have gone on economic issues.

2. (intransitive) To remain alive or existent although still proceeding toward death or extinction; to die gradually.
   • 1887, Thomas Hardy, The Woodlanders, ch. 14:

     He lingered through the day, and died that evening as the sun went down.

   • 1904, Andrew Lang, "Asmund and Signy" in The Brown Fairy Book:

     During his absence the queen fell ill, and after lingering for some time she died.

3. (intransitive, often followed by on) To consider or contemplate for a period of time; to engage in analytic thinking or discussion.
   • 2011 April 14, Michael Scherer, "Trump's Political Reality Show: Will the Donald Really Run for President?," Time:

     Trump doesn't linger on the poll.

• (to stay or remain in a place or situation): abide, tarry; See also Thesaurus:tarry

• Ringel, Ringle

linge +‎ -ier (with elision of -i- after palatal)

• IPA^(key): /lɛ̃.ʒe/

linger m (plural lingers, feminine lingère)

1. linenkeeper

• “linger” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• ligner