long s

American  

[es] / ɛs /

Or long ess

noun

1. a style of the letter s, suggesting a lowercase f in form, formerly common in handwriting and as a type character.

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long s British  

noun

1. Also called: long ess.  a lower-case s, printed ʃ, formerly used in handwriting and printing

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Example Sentences

In Roman type, the long "s" most closely resembles a lower-case "f" lacking part of the crossbar.

From The Faerie Queene — Volume 01 by Spenser, Edmund

Such consistent use was usual in legal but not in private hands, though within a word the long "s" was very common.

From The Identification of the Writer of the Anonymous Letter to Lord Monteagle in 1605 by Morgan, George Blacker

In the Gothic types used by Skinner f might be easily mistaken for a long s.

From The Rowley Poems by Chatterton, Thomas

The chief point of interest is that, as in early MSS., the long s is sometimes found at the end of a word, as in “uſ” in l. 22, and “iſ” in l. 23.

From The Lay of Havelok the Dane by Unknown

The long "s" does nothing to aid comprehension, and indeed causes problems, noted in the Textual Appendix: e.g. confusion between "besit" and "befit".

From The Faerie Queene — Volume 01 by Spenser, Edmund