Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A state of sluggishness, inactivity, and apathy.
- n. A state of unconsciousness resembling deep sleep.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A state of prolonged inactivity or torpor; inertness of body or mind; sluggishness; dullness; stupor.
- n. Specifically, in pathology, a disorder of consciousness, which consists of prolonged and profound sleep, from which the patient may be momentarily aroused, but into which he quickly sinks again.
- n. The hibernation or winter sleep of an animal, or any other state of complete repose, as a period of summer lethargy observed in many insect-larvæ, the repose of many tropical animals during the dry season, etc.
- To make lethargic or dull.
- n. Same as litharge.
Wiktionary
- n. A state of fatigue, sluggishness, lassitude and inactivity.
- n. A state of apathy with lack of emotion or interest.
- n. A state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness).
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Morbid drowsiness; continued or profound sleep, from which a person can scarcely be awaked.
- n. A state of inaction or indifference.
- v. To lethargize.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness)
- n. weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy
- n. inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy
Etymologies
- Middle English letargie, from Old French, from Late Latin lēthārgia, from Greek lēthārgiā, from lēthārgos, forgetful : lēthē, forgetfulness + ārgos, idle (a-, without; see a-1 + ergon, work; see werg- in Indo-European roots).
Examples
“The main reason for the dollar's lethargy is seen as the weakening U.S. economy and expectations the U.S.”
“Aspiration of aliphatic hydrocarbons may result in lethargy, tremors, and, rarely, convulsions or coma.”
“There you’ll find that the word for truth is aletheia, from which in English we get the word lethargy.”
“Malaise is defined as: “a general feeling of worry, discontent, or dissatisfaction, often resulting in lethargy.””
“This is not lethargy, which is a heaviness and unserviceability of mind and body from dullness and which can occur even when attending to an external object.”
“Condemning what the UDPS termed the lethargy of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in the conflict, and the "delays and excuses of the belligerents," the UDPS noted "with concern inflammatory and warlike statements that reduce the chances of peace.”
“The only thing that can arouse the inhabitants out of their lethargy is the prospect of a drink at somebody else's expense.”
“And until the people can be got up from the lethargy, which is an awful symptom of the advanced state of their disease, I know of nothing that can be done beyond keeping their wrongs continually before them.”
“It is impossible, Madam, that the generous warmth and angelic purity of your youthful mind can have any idea of that moral disease under which I unhappily must rank as the chief of sinners; I mean a torpitude of the moral powers that may be called a lethargy of conscience.”
“Here he continued till 1700, or by some 1701, that he took a strange disease, which they were pleased to call a lethargy, wherein he became quite stupid and senseless, and so died at”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘lethargy’.
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gre
municipal, whit, dissembler, berate, liberally, embellish, dissimilitude, histrionics, flamboyance, bombastic, bovine, calumny and 142 more...
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Yazhinni Spelling bee
tongue, stallion, scruple, salinity, schedule, rouge, populist, Permian, perspire, pasteurize, multitude, mournful and 227 more...
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Afflictions of the Realm
archaic diseases
dropsy, quinsy, tisick, measles, croup, gout, canker, teething, overlaying, mold-shot head, thrush, whooping-cough and 42 more...
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Say It Right
Words that people pronounce in ways I wouldn't pronounce them.
often, palm, clitoris, aunt, vasectomy, interesting, headache, ask, row, ignominy, antimony, ptisan and 2 more...
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Dude, you really just need to cheer up
words denoting depression, melancholy or general lack of contentment
melancholy, depression, sadness, sad, accidie, lethargy, apathy, lackluster, topor, careless, unenthused, languid and 1 more...
burntsox An NPR commentator accented the second syllable, as if she were saying lethargic. I'd accept this from mere mortals.... but from NPR? Oct 26, 2008