oblong

[ob-lawng, -long]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oblong ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

elongated, usually from the square or circular form.

in the form of a rectangle one of whose dimensions is greater than the other.

noun

an oblong figure.

Origin of oblong

1375–1425; late Middle English oblonge < Latin oblongus rather long, equivalent to ob- ob- + longus long¹

Related formsob·long·ish, adjectiveob·long·ly, adverbob·long·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for oblong

oval, ovoid, egg-shaped, elliptical, elongate, long, ovate, ellipsoidal, rectangular

Examples from the Web for oblong

Contemporary Examples of oblong

Or, maybe a satellite in an oblong orbit around earth—the closer it gets, the faster it flies.
Telling My Family That I’m Leaving Again for Afghanistan
Nick Willard
April 9, 2014
An oblong bomb-hole marked the back wall, and windows were empty of their glass.
Kids of War: Libyan Children Fight a New Battle at School
Danielle Shapiro
June 30, 2012

Historical Examples of oblong

Her contour was rather square than oblong, and she was very heavy.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
One was a large one and oblong in shape, the other of good size but round.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
The difference was that it was oblong instead of half round.
Introductory American History
Henry Eldridge Bourne
The spores are ochraceous-brown, oblong or elliptical, 8–104–5.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
Oblong, two or three times as long as wide, with the sides parallel.
Trees of the Northern United States
Austin C. Apgar

British Dictionary definitions for oblong

oblong

adjective

having an elongated, esp rectangular, shape

noun

a figure or object having this shape

Word Origin for oblong

C15: from Latin oblongus, from ob- (intensive) + longus long 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 oblong

adj.

early 15c., from Latin oblongus "more long than broad," originally "somewhat long," from ob "to, toward," here perhaps intensive (see ob-) + longus "long" (see long (adj.)). As a noun from c.1600.