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languor

[lang-ger]
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noun
  1. lack of energy or vitality; sluggishness.
  2. lack of spirit or interest; listlessness; stagnation.
  3. physical weakness or faintness.
  4. emotional softness or tenderness.
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Origin of languor

1250–1300; < Latin (see languish, -or1); replacing Middle English langour sickness, woe < Old French < Latin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

inactivitytirednesstorporapathyweaknesslazinessidlenesslistlessnessfatiguedullnessinaction

Examples from the Web for languor

Historical Examples

  • Outside the door of the anaesthetizing-room Miss Harrison's languor vanished.

    K

    Mary Roberts Rinehart

  • Under her mask of languor, Carlotta's heart was beating wildly.

    K

    Mary Roberts Rinehart

  • Moderation is the languor and sloth of the soul, Ambition its activity and heat.

    Reflections

    Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld

  • "I think I will go in," says Charlotte, with a pretence of languor.

    The Cavalier

    George Washington Cable

  • No languor, no dull headache, no exhaustion, follows your experience.

    The Forest

    Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for languor

languor

noun
  1. physical or mental laziness or weariness
  2. a feeling of dreaminess and relaxation
  3. oppressive silence or stillness
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Word Origin

C14 langour, via Old French from Latin languor, from languēre to languish; the modern spelling is directly from Latin
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 languor

n.

c.1300, "disease, distress, mental suffering," from Old French langor "sickness, weakness" (Modern French langueur), from Latin languorem (nominative languor) "faintness, feebleness, lassitude," from languere "be weak or faint" (see lax). Sense shifted to "faintness, weariness" (1650s) and "habitual want of energy" (1825).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper