16 Comments
- 17
- 14
- 12
- 12
- 11
- 11
- 11
- 8
- 6
- 6
- 5
- 2
- 1381
I anticipate Americans with their penchant for late Middle English insisting it should allow 'an oblong'! :-)
- 17
- 14
- 12
- 12
- 11
- 11
- 11
- 8
- 6
- 6
- 5
- 2
- 1381
Yes. It is an older colloquial word disapproved of by schools here, but older generations still refer to it as such.
- 21
- 13
- 9
- 9
- 6
- 6
- 6
- 3
- 2
- 2
- 71
I felt stupid for not knowing, but now I feel sophisticated and modern.
- 17
- 14
- 12
- 12
- 11
- 11
- 11
- 8
- 6
- 6
- 5
- 2
- 1381
That's what I call a good result! :-) :-)
In all seriousness, though; never fear about asking. There are so many variants of English being used on here that everyone is guaranteed to be puzzled by something at some point.
- 18
- 18
- 17
- 17
- 16
- 15
- 15
- 11
- 10
- 10
- 12
The term "oblong" is also still used in german (as an adjective only) - meaning "in shape of a rectangle" ("oblong" in english as well)
- 15
Brits are taught both words. Very young children tend to learn "oblong" and then "rectangle" later on.
- 25
- 3
- 3
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 2
As an American, I've never been taught that term to refer to a rectangle. Then again, I am from the South...
- 10
- 9
- 6
Same here from Illinois and South Dakota. I usually hear it as an adjective, and it doesn't imply quadrilateral since ovals are also oblong.
- 15
No, ovals are egg-shaped (oval comes from Latin ovum 'egg') or ellipse shaped. Oblongs are rectangles.
Dictionary definition: oblong |ˈɒblɒŋ| noun a rectangular object with unequal adjacent sides (i.e. not a square).
Origin: late Middle English: from Latin oblongus ‘longish’.
Oblong = rectangle.
- 10
- 9
- 6
I'll have to look into it more... love having etymology but that's not destiny. The places where I have tended to hear oblong are tables (that shape you get when leaves are added to a round table, not technically an ellipse) and faces (not square, round, oval, or heart-shaped). Those might be technical senses, though.
- 21
- 18
- 17
- 15
- 14
- 13
- 13
- 13
- 12
- 12
- 12
- 11
- 9
- 9
- 8
- 8
- 3
- 3
- 6
English Wiktionary:
oblong (adjective):
-
Longer than wide or wider than long; not square.
-
Roughly rectangular or ellipsoidal.
Egg shapes match both descriptions, I believe.
- 17
- 14
- 12
- 12
- 11
- 11
- 11
- 8
- 6
- 6
- 5
- 2
- 1381
Well, that is interesting. I'd never heard of oblong being applied to anything other than rectangular shapes. In my day in schools here, especially in maths, references to oblongs were strongly discouraged.
However, the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), also suggests it may be applied to elliptical shapes.
oblong
/ˈɒblɒŋ/
adjective & noun. lme.[ORIGIN: Latin oblongus somewhat long, oblong, elliptical, from ob- ob- + longus long.]
A. adjective. Elongated in one direction; esp. rectangular with adjacent sides unequal; (of a sheet of paper, a picture, etc.) rectangular with the breadth greater than the height. lme. oblong woodsia.
B. noun. An oblong figure or object; esp. an oblong rectangle. l16.
Derivatives:
■ oblongish adjective (rare) somewhat oblong m17.
■ oblongly adverb (rare) m17.
■ oblongness noun (rare) e18.
- 22
- 7
The weakest aspect of the duolingo Welsh course are the endless discussions about English usage. I am enjoying the course and find Welsh to be beautiful and fascinating. I would love to keep the focus on Welsh and recognize that all of the Englishes of the world have an equal seat at the table, including ESL.
- 17
- 14
- 12
- 12
- 11
- 11
- 11
- 8
- 6
- 6
- 5
- 2
- 1381
My original post was meant largely tongue-in-cheek, but I've learnt a few new things as a result - although, admittedly not about Welsh.
Did you mean BSL, or possibly ASL?
