Flaccid

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈflæ(k)sɪd/

Definitions

1. Soft and limp in texture, lacking energy and strength, which can apply to physical states or describe an unenergetic demeanor
2. Marked by a lack of solidity or resilience, as well as showing a deficiency in emotional drive or assertiveness
3. Not firm or stiff in form, falling limp and lacking rigidity ; showing weak or sluggish qualities due to absence of strength or vigor

Etymology: The Latin adjective "flaccus" meant "flabby" or "having drooping ears," a sense that survives in the word's picture of something that has lost its firmness. English borrowed the form "flaccid" directly from Latin "flaccidus," itself built on the same root, so the word arrived with its original meaning of drooping softness largely intact. The root traces back to the Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-, meaning "to suck" or "to suckle," which is also the ancestor of words for a nursing mother and a suckling infant. The link between suckling and softness runs through the idea of something pliable and yielding, and Latin took that yielding quality and applied it to limp, drooping bodies and ears. Later Latin speakers preserved the sense in "flaccidus," which English adopted as a learned term.

Synonyms: soft, limp, weak, feeble, drooping

Antonyms: firm, stiff, hard, taut, strong