久 (jiǔ)

(of a period of time) long

Etymology

Depicts an arrow nock. The nock is the part of an arrow that is held against the bowstring before being launched. Same origin as 氒. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“久,以後灸之,象人兩脛後有距也。”

Original meaning

arrow nock