English
long firm
Long firm may come from Old English gelang ‘fraudulent’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150gelang‘fraudulent’uncertain
- Englishtodaylong firm
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150gelang‘fraudulent’uncertain
- Englishtodaylong firm
Every English word from Old English gelang
Today it means
noun A company of swindlers who obtain goods on pretence of being established in business, and then decamp without payment to do the same elsewhere.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English gelang / long firm