elongate

American  

[ih-lawng-geyt, ih-long-, ee-lawng-geyt, ee-long-] / ɪˈlɔŋ geɪt, ɪˈlɒŋ-, ˈi lɔŋˌgeɪt, ˈi lɒŋ- /

verb (used with object)

elongated, elongating

1. to draw out to greater length; lengthen; extend.

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verb (used without object)

elongated, elongating

1. to increase in length.

adjective

1. extended; lengthened.

2. long and thin.

elongate British  

/ ˈiːlɒŋɡeɪt /

verb

1. to make or become longer; stretch

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adjective

1. long and narrow; slender

   elongate leaves

2. lengthened or tapered

Other Word Forms

• elongative adjective
• subelongate adjective
• subelongated adjective
• unelongated adjective

Etymology

Origin of elongate

1530–40; < Late Latin ēlongātus lengthened out, past participle of ēlongāre to make longer, make distant, remove, equivalent to Latin ē- e- ¹ + -longāre, derivative of longus long ¹, longē far off

Example Sentences

Sometimes, however, changing requirements on existing programs leads to elongated timelines.

From Barron's

Green holed out to deep square leg to give Carse his third wicket of the day, yet Australia's elongated batting order had all-rounder Beau Webster arriving at nine to provide yet more support to Smith.

From BBC

Mars' location in the solar system -- its distance from the Sun, its neighbors like Earth, the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn -- forces it into a more elongated and eccentric orbit.

From Science Daily

Time indoors looking at screens can cause eyeballs to elongate, leaving kids nearsighted for life.

From The Wall Street Journal

In this study, researchers identified 14 nearby galaxies rich in hydrogen gas arranged in a narrow, elongated line measuring about 5.5 million light years in length and roughly 117,000 light years across.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• draw out
• lengthen