längerem

Längerem is a declined form of the German adjective in the comparative degree (länger) used before a noun in the dative singular. It is not a separate lexical item, but a grammatical ending that marks case, number, and gender for the adjective lang in its comparative form.

In ordinary usage, längeren or längeres appear with determiner forms or in other cases; längEREm occurs when the noun is in the dative singular without a preceding article, especially after prepositions that require the dative. For example: bei längerem Aufenthalt (a longer stay), mit längerem Blick (with a longer gaze). Here, langer is the root, längERem is the inflected form that agrees with masculine or neuter nouns in the dative singular.

Common related forms include:

- Nominative/Accusative singular neuter: längeres Aufenthalt (with an article or determiner, forms may vary).

- Dative plural: längeren (with -en), as in mit längeren Aufenthalten.

- Feminine forms follow the standard adjective declension rules and have their own endings.

Usage notes:

- längERem typically appears in written and formal contexts, often in descriptive phrases, notices, or literary prose.

- It often occurs in combinations with prepositions that govern the dative, such as mit, bei, in, nach, or während.

Etymology:

- Derived from lang meaning long, with the comparative suffix -er forming länger, which then takes inflectional endings like -em in the dative singular.

See also: lang, länger, German adjective declension, comparative forms.