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lasting

[las-ting, lah-sting]
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adjective
  1. continuing or enduring a long time; permanent; durable: a lasting friendship.
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noun
  1. a strong, durable, closely woven fabric for shoe uppers, coverings on buttons, etc.
  2. Archaic. the quality of surviving or continuing and maintaining strength, effectiveness, etc.
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Origin of lasting

1125–75 for def 1; 1775–85 for def 2; Middle English (adj.). See last2, -ing2
Related formslast·ing·ly, adverblast·ing·ness, nounun·last·ing, adjective

last2

[last, lahst]
verb (used without object)
  1. to go on or continue in time: The festival lasted three weeks.
  2. to continue unexpended or unexhausted; be enough: We'll enjoy ourselves while our money lasts.
  3. to continue in force, vigor, effectiveness, etc.: to last for the whole course.
  4. to continue or remain in usable condition for a reasonable period of time: They were handsome shoes but they didn't last.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to continue to survive for the duration of (often followed by out): They lasted the war in Switzerland.
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Origin of last2

before 900; Middle English lasten, Old English lǣstan to follow (literally, go in the tracks of), perform, continue, last; cognate with German laisten to follow, Gothic laistjan. See last3

Synonym study

1. See continue.

last3

[last, lahst]
noun
  1. a wooden or metal form in the shape of the human foot on which boots or shoes are shaped or repaired.
  2. the shape or form of a shoe.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to shape on or fit to a last.
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Idioms
  1. stick to one's last, to keep to that work, field, etc., in which one is competent or skilled.
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Origin of last3

before 900; Middle English lest(e), last(e), Old English lǣste; cognate with German Leisten; akin to Old English lāst, Gothic laists track
Related formslast·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lasting

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for lasting

lasting

adjective
  1. permanent or enduring
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noun
  1. a strong durable closely woven fabric used for shoe uppers, etc
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Derived Formslastingly, adverblastingness, noun

last1

adjective (often prenominal)
  1. being, happening, or coming at the end or after all othersthe last horse in the race
  2. being or occurring just before the present; most recentlast Thursday
  3. last but not least coming last in order but nevertheless important
  4. last but one next to last
  5. only remainingone's last cigarette
  6. most extreme; utmost
  7. least suitable, appropriate, or likelyhe was the last person I would have chosen
  8. (esp relating to the end of a person's life or of the world)
    1. final or ultimatelast rites
    2. (capital)the Last Judgment
  9. (postpositive) Liverpool dialect inferior, unpleasant, or contemptiblethis ale is last
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adverb
  1. after all others; at or in the endhe came last
    1. most recentlyhe was last seen in the mountains
    2. (in combination)last-mentioned
  3. (sentence modifier) as the last or latest item
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noun
  1. the last
    1. a person or thing that is last
    2. the final moment; end
  2. one's last moments before death
  3. the last thing a person can do (esp in the phrase breathe one's last)
  4. the final appearance, mention, or occurrencewe've seen the last of him
  5. at last in the end; finally
  6. at long last finally, after difficulty, delay, or irritation
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Word Origin

variant of Old English latest, lætest, superlative of late

usage

Since last can mean either after all others or most recent, it is better to avoid using this word where ambiguity might arise as in her last novel. Final or latest should be used in such contexts to avoid ambiguity

last2

verb
  1. (when intr, often foll by for) to remain in being (for a length of time); continuehis hatred lasted for several years
  2. to be sufficient for the needs of (a person) for (a length of time)it will last us until Friday
  3. (when intr, often foll by for) to remain fresh, uninjured, or unaltered (for a certain time or duration)he lasted for three hours underground
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See also last out
Derived Formslaster, noun

Word Origin

Old English lǣstan; related to Gothic laistjan to follow

last3

noun
  1. the wooden or metal form on which a shoe or boot is fashioned or repaired
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verb
  1. (tr) to fit (a shoe or boot) on a last
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Derived Formslaster, noun

Word Origin

Old English lǣste, from lāst footprint; related to Old Norse leistr foot, Gothic laists

last4

noun
  1. a unit of weight or capacity having various values in different places and for different commodities. Commonly used values are 2 tons, 2000 pounds, 80 bushels, or 640 gallons
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Word Origin

Old English hlæst load; related to hladan to lade 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lasting

last

adj., adv.

"following all others," from Old English latost (adj.) and lætest (adv.), superlative of læt (see late). Cognate with Old Frisian lest, Dutch laatst, Old High German laggost, German letzt. Meaning "most recent" is from c.1200. The noun, "last person or thing," is c.1200, from the adjective. Last hurrah is from the title of Edwin O'Connor's 1956 novel. Last word "final, definitive statement" is from 1650s. A dying person's last words so called by 1740. As an adjective, last-minute attested from 1913. Last-chance (adj.) is from 1962.

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last

v.

"endure, go on existing," from Old English læstan "to continue, endure," earlier "accomplish, carry out," literally "to follow a track," from Proto-Germanic *laistjan "to follow a track" (cf. Gothic laistjan "to follow," Old Frisian lasta "to fulfill, to pay (duties)," German leisten "to perform, achieve, afford"), from PIE *leis- "track, furrow."

Related to last (n.), not to last (adj.). Related: Lasted; lasting.

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last

n.

"shoemaker's block," from Old English læste, from last "track, footprint, trace," from Proto-Germanic *laist- (cf. Old Norse leistr "the foot," Middle Dutch, Dutch leest "form, model, last," Old High German leist "track, footprint," German Leisten "last," Gothic laistjan "to follow," Old English læran "to teach"); see last (v.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with lasting

last

In addition to the idioms beginning with last

  • last analysis
  • last but not least
  • last fling
  • last gasp
  • last laugh, have the
  • last resort
  • last straw, the
  • last word, the

also see:

  • at last
  • at the last minute
  • breathe one's last
  • each and every (last one)
  • famous last words
  • first and last
  • head for (the last roundup)
  • in the final (last) analysis
  • on one's last legs
  • see the last of
  • stick to one's last
  • to the last
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.