long firm

noun

A company of swindlers who obtain goods on pretence of being established in business, and then decamp without payment to do the same elsewhere.

OriginOld English gelang ← Italian firma →
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Meanings

nounlong firm (plural long firms)

plural long firms

  1. A company of swindlers who obtain goods on pretence of being established in business, and then decamp without payment to do the same elsewhere.

Origin

  1. Italianfirma“signature”
  2. Old Englishgelang“fraudulent”
  3. Englishlong firm

* Perhaps from the idea that such a firm (company) would claim to have been established for a long time. * Perhaps from Old English gelang (“fraudulent”) and Italian firma (“signature”).

More words from Old English, Italian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

long firm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20firm

MLA

“long firm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20firm. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “long firm,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20firm.

Source: long firm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.