From Middle English lunge, longe, from Old English lungen, from Proto-Germanic *lunganjō, an enlargement of *lungô, from Proto-Indo-European *lengʷʰ- ("not heavy, agile, nimble"); compare *h₁lengʷʰ-, whence ultimately also light. Cognate with West Frisian long, Dutch long, German Lunge, Danish lunge, Norwegian lunge, Swedish lunga, Icelandic lunga, and also Russian лёгкое , Ancient Greek ἐλαφρός and perhaps Albanian lungë. Compare Latin levis and Old English lēoht (Modern English light). See also lights. Superseded non-native Middle English pomoun, borrowed from Old French poumon, pomon.
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