hebetude

American  

[heb-i-tood, -tyood] / ˈhɛb ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

noun

1. the state of being dull; lethargy.

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hebetude British  

/ ˈhɛbɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. rare mental dullness or lethargy

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Other Word Forms

• hebetudinous adjective

Etymology

Origin of hebetude

First recorded in 1615–25; from Late Latin hebetūdō “dullness, bluntness,” equivalent to Latin hebet- (stem of hebes ) “dull” + -ūdō; -tude

Example Sentences

The alternate delirium or coma and clearness of mind in meningitis contrast with the persistent hebetude, stupor, or muttering delirium and the muscular relaxation in typhoid fever.

From Project Gutenberg

Such children, in their mental hebetude and physical degeneracy, suggest a degree of cretinism.

From Project Gutenberg

Benumbed, exhausted, sunk in hebetude, she waited until she could wait no more, until intolerable suspense drove her blindly.

From Project Gutenberg

We are on the eve of a Jubilee Year, when the halcyon shall plume his wing, and we shall hear much oratorical trash and hebetude about the peacefulness of this happy reign.

From Project Gutenberg

This hebetude of all faculty was the merciful, protecting method that Nature took with her, dimming the lamp of consciousness until the wounded creature could gain sufficient resiliency to bear a full realization of life.

From Project Gutenberg