Meanings
- uncountablehistoriographyA long period of time during which social processes develop or social structures evolve.
The "Annales" school draws attention to the virtually unchanging geography of a region, the rising and ebbing movements of the economy, or the rhythmic repetitions in social relations — i.e., to the "longue duree" — rather than to those fleeting events we call political.
1978, Lynn Avery Hunt, Revolution and Urban Politics in Provincial France: Troyes and Reims, 1786-1790, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 1 - uncountableAn approach to the study of history over such long periods.
- uncountableThe long term; a relatively long period of time.
The longue duree of river and rocks throws into relief the trivial pursuits of the dying man whose last thoughts are of a briefer time span.
1976, Jean Franco, “Foreword”, in The Decapitated Chicken and Other Stories, University of Wisconsin Press, translation of original by Horacio Quiroga, →ISBN, page xv
Origin
Borrowed from French longue durée (“long duration”). Attested since the 1960s.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish lange linjer
- lange linjerhistoriographical term, "long lines of history"
Finnish pitkän keston historia
- pitkän keston historiahistoriographical term, "long lines of history"
French longue durée, temps long
- longue duréehistoriographical term, "long lines of history"
- temps longhistoriographical term, "long lines of history"
Polish długie trwanie
- długie trwaniehistoriographical term, "long lines of history"
Cite this entry
longue durée. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/longue%20dur%C3%A9e
“longue durée.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/longue%20dur%C3%A9e. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “longue durée,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/longue%20dur%C3%A9e.
Source: longue durée on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.