Linger
Middle English (in the sense ‘dwell, abide’): frequentative of obsolete leng ‘prolong’, of Germanic origin; related to German längen ‘make long(er)’, also to long1.
wiktionary
From Middle English lenger, lengeren, frequentative of lengen(“to tarry”), from Old Norse lengja(“to lengthen”), from Proto-Germanic *langijaną (compare Dutch lengen, German längen), related to the root of long.
etymonline
linger (v.)
c. 1300, lenger "reside, dwell," northern England frequentative of lengen "to tarry," from Old English lengan "prolong, lengthen," from Proto-Germanic *langjan "to make long" (source also of Old Frisian lendza, Old High German lengan, Dutch lengen "to lengthen"), from *langaz- "long" (see long (adj.)).
Intransitive sense of "delay going, depart slowly and unwillingly" is from 1520s. Meaning "remain long in sickness, be near death for a time" is from 1530s. It shares verbal duties with long, prolong, lengthen. Related: Lingered; lingerer; lingering.
