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languishing

[lang-gwi-shing]
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adjective

becoming languid, in any way.
expressive of languor; indicating tender, sentimental melancholy: a languishing sigh.
lingering: a languishing death.

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RELATED WORDS

dull, tired, longing, pining, droopy, listless, sluggish, melancholy, sad, unhappy

Origin of languishing

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at languish, -ing2
Related formslan·guish·ing·ly, adverbhalf-lan·guish·ing, adjectiveun·lan·guish·ing, adjective

languish

[lang-gwish]

verb (used without object)

to be or become weak or feeble; droop; fade.
to lose vigor and vitality.
to undergo neglect or experience prolonged inactivity; suffer hardship and distress: to languish in prison for ten years.
to be subjected to delay or disregard; be ignored: a petition that languished on the warden's desk for a year.
to pine with desire or longing.
to assume an expression of tender, sentimental melancholy.

noun

the act or state of languishing.
a tender, melancholy look or expression.

Origin of languish

1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French languiss-, long stem of languir ≪ Latin languēre to languish; akin to laxus lax; see -ish2
Related formslan·guish·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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British Dictionary definitions for languishing

languish

verb (intr)

to lose or diminish in strength or energy
(often foll by for) to be listless with desire; pine
to suffer deprivation, hardship, or neglectto languish in prison
to put on a tender, nostalgic, or melancholic expression
Derived Formslanguishing, adjectivelanguishingly, adverblanguishment, noun

Word Origin for languish

C14 languishen, from Old French languiss-, stem of languir, ultimately from Latin languēre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for languishing

languish

v.

early 14c., "fail in strength, exhibit signs of approaching death," from languiss-, present participle stem of Old French languir "be listless, pine, grieve, fall ill," from Vulgar Latin *languire, from Latin languere "be weak or faint" (see lax). Weaker sense "be lovesick, grieve, lament, grow faint," is from mid-14c. Related: Languished; languishing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper