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belong

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: bêlong

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi
Proto-Germanic *bider.
Proto-Germanic *bi-
Proto-West Germanic *bi-
Old English be-
Middle English be-
Proto-Germanic *langōną
Proto-West Germanic *langōn
Old English langian
Middle English longen
Middle English belongen
English belong

    From Middle English belongen, bilongen, from Middle English be- + longen (“to be fitting, be suitable”), from Old English langian (“to pertain to, suit”), equivalent to be- +‎ long (“to belong”). Compare Saterland Frisian beloangje (“to attain, reach, meet”), Dutch belangen (“to concern”), German belangen (“to sue, concern”).

    Verb

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    belong (third-person singular simple present belongs, present participle belonging, simple past and past participle belonged)

    1. (intransitive) To have its proper place.
      Synonym: go
      Where does this book belong? It belongs on the top shelf.
      1. (of a person) To be accepted in a group.
        You don’t belong here — get out.
      2. (followed by to) To be a part of a group.
        I don’t belong to the Southside Crew.
      3. (informal, dated, perhaps, obsolete) To live in or be from a place.
        • [1866, Henry Alford, A Plea for the Queen's English:
          " We have," he says, "in these parts a provincial usage of the word "belong:" as, "belong to Halifax," "belong to Leeds: "or, more commonly, "belong Halifax," "belong Leeds:" meaning, live there.]
        • 1878, James Francis Cobb, The Watchers on the Longships:
          Ah! this is the elder of the two - not the one who belongs to Cornwall - I can see that chap still there, holding on to yonder spar.
    2. (intransitive, followed by to) To be the property of, or be bound to by dependency or as an attribute.
      That house belongs to me.
      • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
        Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.
      • 1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 4, in Pulling the Strings:
        A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff. These properties were known to have belonged to a toddy drawer. He had disappeared.
    3. (intransitive, followed by to) To be the spouse or partner of.
      John wanted to ask Mary out on a date, but learned that Mary belonged to another man.
    4. (intransitive, set theory) (followed by to) To be an element of (a set). The symbol ∈ means belongs to.
      Suppose x belongs to ℝ… (written x∈ℝ)
    5. (obsolete, transitive) To be deserved by.
      • 1953, Ben Jonson, Timber: Or, Discoveries‎[1], page 70:
        More evils belong us than happen to us.
    6. (Cornwall) To do something habitually or customarily.
      • 1895, Joseph Thomas, Randigal Rhymes and a Glossary of Cornish Words, page 68:
        Belong. To be accustomed; to be due. He belongs to go every day. The 'bus belongs to start soon.
      • 1942, Charles Lee, Cornish Tales, page 234:
        […] she belong to behave now she's growed up.
    Usage notes
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    Derived terms
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    Descendants
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    • Australian Kriol: blanga
    • Bislama: blong
    • Pijin: blong, bilong
    • Tok Pisin: bilong
    • ⇒ Chinese Pidgin English: belong
    • → Jersey Dutch: belânge
    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Further reading

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    • “belong”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

    Etymology 2

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    Compare Australian Kriol blanga, Bislama blong, Tok Pisin bilong, and Torres Strait Creole blong.

    Alternative forms

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    Preposition

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    belong

    1. (Australian Aboriginal, optionally followed by to) Of, belonging to.
      • 1915, E. R. Masson, Untamed Territory:
        Jim Campbell, Charlie, Dick, ... Fred, lubra b’longa him, me, thass all.
      • 1936, M. & E. Durack, Chunuma:
        By an’ bye ’im grow ’m up make ’m good fella stockman b’longta you.
      • 1977, N. Kolig, Playing Alonga Mud:
        Those who had persevered with the course and had acquired some skill were now almost deferentially called ‘Maban (expert) belonga clay’.
      • 1986 December, Kowanyama News:
        Them two bin help’m too, and that father blung to this one old Frank.
      • 1986, B. Shaw, Countrymen:
        There’s the bloke that’s kill that feller, uncle belong you an me.
      • 1991, D. B. Rose, Hidden Histories:
        Get that fire [wood] stacked up like that tree there, that high ... It wasn’t wood belong to that fire pile. Might be for station, or somebody else, you know.

    Chinese Pidgin English

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    Etymology

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    From English belong. Compare Tok Pisin bilong.

    Preposition

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    belong

    1. of; belonging to
      • 1862, 唐景星 [Tong King-sing], 英語集全 [Chinese English Instructor], volume IV, marginalia, page 53; republished as “Pidgin English texts from the Chinese English Instructor”, in Michelle Li, Stephen Matthews, Geoff P. Smith, editors, Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics‎[2], volume 10, number 1, 2005, pages 79-167:
        地士鼻郎㕭
        *di6 si6 bi6 long4 ju1
        Thisee belong you?
        Is this yours?

    References

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    • Umberto Ansaldo; Stephen Matthews; Geoff Smith (2010), “China Coast Pidgin: Texts and contexts”, in Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages‎[3], volume 25, number 1, →DOI, pages 63-94
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