lengthening
長くする
解説 Definition
lengthening は lengthen（長くする、長くなる）の現在分詞・動名詞です。時間、距離、物の長さなどが伸びること、または伸ばすことを表します。
Making something longer or becoming longer in distance, duration, or physical extent. It is the present participle or gerund of lengthen and may describe either a deliberate extension or a gradual natural increase.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
length「長さ」＋ -en「〜にする・なる」で lengthen「長くする、長くなる」となり、そこへ -ing を付けた形です。原形の語末 e は黙字ではないため、そのまま lengthening と綴ります。lengthening the route なら他動詞、the days are lengthening なら自動詞で、物・時間・距離が伸び続ける場面を描きましょう。
Build the word in stages: length is the measure of how long something is, -en makes lengthen, “make or become longer,” and -ing marks an ongoing action or an activity. The base form is lengthen, and its final letters remain unchanged before -ing: lengthening. Picture two common directions of change. A city may be lengthening a bus route, actively extending it, while the days are lengthening by themselves as spring approaches. This contrast helps you remember that lengthen can be transitive or intransitive and can refer to physical distance, written material, or duration.
例文
The city is lengthening the bus route to reach the new hospital.
市は新しい病院まで行けるようにバス路線を延長しています。
The days are lengthening as spring approaches.
春が近づくにつれて、日が長くなっています。
The editor suggested lengthening the final chapter by a few pages.
編集者は最終章を数ページ長くするよう提案しました。
lengthening の類義語・関連語
紛らわしい語
lengthening の語源・成り立ち Etymology
lengthening は lengthen の現在分詞で、length「長さ」に「〜にする」の -en と進行・名詞化の -ing が重なった形です。length は古英語 lengðu、さらに long「長い」に由来し、lengthy も同根です。つまり「長い状態へ伸ばしていく」がそのまま語の骨格です。
Lengthening is the -ing form of lengthen. Lengthen was built from length with the verb-forming suffix -en, meaning “make or become,” while length comes from Old English lengðu and is historically related to long. Adding -ing creates the present participle or gerund without removing any final letter from lengthen. The word's structure directly represents movement toward greater length, whether measured in space, time, a route, or a piece of writing.
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