2 syllables: lon, gus. Stress on lon.
LAWNG-guhs
/ˈlɔŋɡəs/
longus is pronounced LAWNG-guhs (/ˈlɔŋɡəs/). It has two syllables (lon-gus), with the stress on "lon". Longus is a Latin-derived term often used in anatomical contexts (e.g., longus muscles) and occasionally in scholarly writing as a Latin noun or adjective form. In pronunciation guidance, treat it as a neologism or learned loanword: two syllables, with primary stress on the first syllable, and a crisp, unstressed final -us similar to other Latin-derived English words.
Longus is a Latin-derived term often used in anatomical contexts (e.g., longus muscles) and occasionally in scholarly writing as a Latin noun or adjective form. In pronunciation guidance, treat it as a neologism or learned loanword: two syllables, with primary stress on the first syllable, and a crisp, unstressed final -us similar to other Latin-derived English words.
"The longus muscle lies along the anterior thigh in some specimens."
"In anatomical charts, longus is paired with brevis and increasingly appears in modern literature."
"She noted the longus tendons near the ankle during the dissection."
Pronounce it as two syllables with primary stress on the first: /ˈlɒŋ.ɡəs/ (British/US) or /ˈlɔːŋ.ɡəs/ in some dialects where 'lot' or 'law' vowels alternate; the final -us is light. Mouth-position: start with an open back rounded /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ for the first vowel, then a velar nasal /ŋ/, a hard /ɡ/ before the unstressed /əs/ sequence. In careful speech, avoid adding an extra syllable; keep the final -us short and weak, as in many Latin-derived terms.
Common mistakes include over-pronouncing the final -us (sounding like 'us' as full syllable), misplacing the stress (placing it on the second syllable), and substituting a hard 's' or 'z' sound instead of a light, reduced final /əs/. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable, use /əs/ quickly without extra vocalization, and maintain the /ɡ/ before the final syllable without voicing changes. Practice saying /ˈlɒŋ.ɡəs/ in a slow cadence, then speed up while keeping the final schwa-like /ə/ reduced.
US and UK generally share /ˈlɒŋ.ɡəs/ with a short /ɒ/ (or /ɔː/ in some accents). Australian English tends to front/raise vowels slightly and may sound closer to /ˈlɔːŋ.ɡəs/ or /ˈlɒŋ.ɡəs/, with subtle vowel shifts. The /ɡ/ is consistently a hard /g/, and the final /əs/ is unstressed. The biggest difference is vowel quality in the first syllable and the rhoticity of the preceding consonants in context; you’ll hear minor variation in the nucleus. Maintain the two-syllable pattern across accents.
Because it blends a Latin-derived final -us with an English short vowel in the first syllable and a consonant cluster /ŋɡ/ between vowels. The tricky point is sustaining a clean /ŋ/ before the hard /ɡ/, then reducing the final /əs/ without adding a vowel. It’s easy to over-articulate the final -us or to misplace the primary stress. Focus on a crisp initial /l/ with a compact, quick second syllable; keep the final /əs/ weak and almost inaudible in rapid speech.
No. In standard pronunciation, all letters contribute: the /l/ at the start, the /ŋ/ after the vowel, the /ɡ/ before the final vowel, and the final /əs/ with a reduced vowel. The letter 'g' is not silent, and the final 'us' is not fully pronounced as /juːz/ but as a light /əs/. The main challenge is the light, reduced ending rather than a silent letter sequence.
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Longus derives from Latin longus, meaning 'long' or 'lengthy.' The Latin noun longus appears in classical Latin as an adjective describing length, with its root longa/longus tied to Proto-Italic *dlongos, from Proto-Indo-European *d-long-, related to English long. In Latin, longus could function as both an adjective and a noun (the longus muscles, cruris longus, etc.). The term entered English medical and anatomical vocabulary via Latin scholarly usage, maintaining the final -us ending characteristic of Latin masculine nouns/adjectives. Over time, longus has specialized application in anatomy (e.g., flexor digitorum longus, tibialis anterior longus in some contexts) and is retained in modern scholarly writing with consistent Latin morphology, though pronunciation in English tends toward anglicized vowels and reduced final syllables. First known attestations appear in medieval Latin anatomical texts and later in Renaissance-era medical glossaries, with continued use in contemporary anatomy and phylogenetics to describe length-related structures or properties. Historically, the form longus has been used deliberately to retain Latin precision when naming muscles, ligaments, and other anatomical features, even as languages diverged in vernacular usage.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "longus" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "longus" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "longus"
-nus sounds
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