Linger
/ˈlɪŋ.ɡər/noun
To remain or stay on longer than expected; to delay leaving or fading away.
Did you know?Linger is historically tied to the same Germanic root as words like long and length, so the word itself literally carries the feeling of stretching time out.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*langjaną
“to lengthen, make long”
Old English
OE
lengan
“to prolong, lengthen”
Middle English
ME
lengeren / lingeren
“to delay, remain, tarry”
15th Century
English
linger
“to loiter or stay behind; to delay departure”
Modern English
English
linger
“to remain or stay on longer than expected”