long-playing
UK[ˌlɒŋ ˈpleɪɪŋ]US[ˌlɔːŋ ˈpleɪɪŋ]
adj
(of a gramophone record) designed to be played at a slow speed and usually containing a long recording, especially of music.
n
a long-playing record.
Morpheme Breakdown
long
play
ing
long
extended in duration
play
to reproduce sound
ing
adjective-forming suffix
Etymology
The term 'long-playing' is a modern English compound adjective created in the mid-20th century. It directly combines the native English word 'long', with its sense of extended duration, and 'playing', derived from the verb 'play' in its specific sense of causing a recorded device to reproduce sound. The '-ing' suffix adjectivizes the compound. The term was coined specifically to describe a new format of vinyl phonograph record introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, which rotated at 33⅓ revolutions per minute, allowing for a significantly longer continuous playback time than the earlier standard '78' records. Thus, the literal meaning 'playing for a long time' perfectly captures the primary technical innovation and selling point of the product.
Analysis
Structure: long (extended in duration) + play (to reproduce sound) + ing (adjective-forming suffix)
- long: From Old English lang, long, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lang and German lang. Functions as an adjective meaning 'extending a great distance' or 'lasting a great time'.
- play: From Old English plegian, plegian 'to exercise, frolic, perform music'. Of Germanic origin, related to Dutch pleien 'to dance, leap for joy'. In this compound, it refers to the action of a record reproducing sound.
- ing: A suffix forming the present participle of verbs, used here to create an adjective meaning 'having the quality of'.
Examples
The album was first released as a long-playing record in 1956.
He spent the afternoon listening to his collection of long-playing discs.
The transition from 78s to long-playing vinyl revolutionized home music consumption.