Looking up...
a friend whom one has known for a long time
My longtime friend and I still meet every weekend.
A friend I’ve known for many years still meets with me weekly.
He’s not just a colleague; he’s a longtime friend.
He’s more than a coworker; we’ve been friends for years.
Emphasizes the duration of the friendship rather than the depth.
While 'longtime friend' is correct, 'old friend' is more common in casual speech. Reserve 'longtime' for formal or descriptive contexts.
Use 'longtime friend' only when the length of the friendship is the key detail, not the emotional closeness.
The phrase combines 'longtime' (from 'long' + '-time', first recorded in the 19th century) and 'friend' (Old English 'frēond', meaning 'lover, relative, or friend'). The compound form gained popularity in the 20th century to emphasize enduring relationships.
Used to describe a friendship that has lasted for many years, often implying trust and familiarity. Common in both spoken and written English, especially in personal narratives and biographies.