longueurs

Longueurs is the plural of longueur, a French noun that denotes length, extent, or duration. In general use, the term covers both physical dimensions and measurable spans of time, and its specific meaning depends on context. The word comes from Latin longitudo and passed into Old French as longueur, later forming the modern term longueur.

In measurement and geometry, une longueur refers to the distance between two points or to the dimension of an object along its longest axis. It is a basic unit of spatial description and is typically expressed in metres, centimetres, or other units of length. The plural longueurs is used when speaking of multiple measurements or multiple objects with different lengths.

In time and duration, longueur can denote how long something lasts. For example, la longueur d’un film means the film’s running time, and la longueur d’un événement refers to its duration. The plural longueurs is common in critiques or descriptions that discuss multiple periods of time within a single work or sequence.

In sports, particularly swimming, longueurs has a distinct technical use. Faire des longueurs means to swim laps, with each length representing one traversal of the pool. In a standard pool, a longueur corresponds to a fixed distance (for example, 25 metres in a 25 m pool or 50 metres in an Olympic-size pool).

In other domains, longueurs can describe lengths of fabric or other materials (des longueurs de tissu), as well as parts of a film or narrative that feel slow or dragging (les longueurs d’un film).

Overall, longueurs is a versatile term tied to measuring how long or how extensive something is, with sense determined by context.