Etymology

belong

be·long
B3E1L1O1N1G2

Today it means: To have its proper place. Full definition →

Middle English belongen ← Old English langian ← Proto-West Germanic *langōn
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belong · verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁épi
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₁pi
  5. Proto-Germanic*bi
  6. Proto-Germanic*bi-
  7. Proto-West Germanic*bi-
  8. Old Englishbe-
  9. Middle Englishbe-
  10. Proto-Germanic*langōną
  11. Proto-West Germanic*langōn
  12. Old Englishlangian
  13. Middle Englishlongen
  14. Middle Englishbelongen
  15. English todaybelong

From Middle English belongen, bilongen, from Middle English be- + longen (“to be fitting, be suitable”), from Old English langian (“to pertain to, suit”), equivalent to be- + long (“to belong”). Compare Saterland Frisian beloangje (“to attain, reach, meet”), Dutch belangen (“to concern”), German belangen (“to sue, concern”).

belong · preposition2

Compare Australian Kriol blanga, Bislama blong, Tok Pisin bilong, and Torres Strait Creole blong.

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishbe- all →

be-betides

Old Englishlangian all →

long

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.