far-flung

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English[edit]

WOTD – 18 December 2022

Etymology[edit]

From far +‎ flung (“thrown”),[1] suggesting something which has been thrown a long distance away from oneself.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

far-flung (comparative more far-flung or further-flung, superlative most far-flung or furthest-flung)

  1. Distant or remote in relationship, space, or time.
    Synonyms: far-off, outlying; see also Thesaurus:distant
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:near
    • 1897 July 17, Rudyard Kipling, “[Service Songs] Recessional”, in The Five Nations, London: Methuen and Co. […], published September 1903, →OCLC, page 214:
      God of our fathers, known of old, / Lord of our far-flung battle-line, / […] / Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, / Lest we forget—lest we forget!
    • 2020 March 11, Daniel Puddicombe, “Analysis: Little Prospect of Bringing Back Motorail … for Now”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 32:
      Introduced in the 1960s, Motorail was successful at a time when long-distance travel by car was a time-consuming process because of a lack of motorways. Services, both during the day and at night, ran to such far-flung places on the map as Penzance, Fishguard, Inverness and Fort William.
  2. Widely distributed, wide-ranging, or widespread.
    Synonyms: common, ubiquitous; see also Thesaurus:widespread
    • 1960 June, “Talking of Trains: New B.R. Research Laboratory”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 328:
      In the spacious laboratories and offices […] are provided not only centralised chemical research facilities for the far-flung London area, but also accommodation for the national headquarters of the B.R. Chemical Services, […]
  3. Widely but sparsely distributed.
    Synonyms: scattered, dispersed

Translations[edit]

distant or remote in relationship, space, or time — see distant
widely distributed, wide-ranging, or widespread — see widespread

References[edit]

  1. ^ “far-flung, adj.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “far-flung, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
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