Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Lasting the whole duration of; entire: Used poetically to emphasize the full length of a period of time, often with a sense of it being tediously long.

2. Noun:

   • A perennial plant: A northern temperate plant (genus Sedum or Hylotelephium, specifically Hylotelephium telephium), also known as orpine or live-forever, with toothed leaves and clusters of small purplish-white flowers.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective:

  • She waited for his call the livelong day. (This emphasizes she waited for the entire, seemingly long day.)
  • The children played in the yard the livelong afternoon.

• Noun:

  • The livelong is often found in rocky gardens.
  • Bees are attracted to the flowers of the livelong.

Advanced Usage

• The adjective "livelong" is almost exclusively used in the fixed poetic phrase "the livelong day" or, less commonly, "the livelong night." It conveys a sense of the entirety of that time period, often with an overtone of monotony, weariness, or eager anticipation that makes the time feel long.
  • He toiled in the fields the livelong day.

Variants and Related Words

• Live-forever: Another common name for the plant (noun).
• Orpine: A synonym for the plant (noun).

Synonyms

• Adjective: Whole, entire, full, complete.
• Noun: Orpine, live-forever, sedum.

Notes on Meaning

• The two meanings (adjective and noun) are etymologically distinct and unrelated in modern usage.
• The adjectival use is archaic and literary, preserved mainly in set phrases. It is not used in contemporary everyday speech.
• The noun refers specifically to a type of succulent plant.

Adjective

1. (of time) constituting the full extent or duration
   • all the livelong day

Noun

1. perennial northern temperate plant with toothed leaves and heads of small purplish-white flowers