Langor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state of physical or mental weariness marked by a lack of vigor and reluctance to exert effort
2. Listlessness and inertia characterized by low energy, sluggishness, or unwillingness to act
3. A condition of apathy and faintness in which one feels drained of vitality and motivation

Etymology: The standard spelling is "languor," and it began as a word for sickness. It comes from Latin "languor," meaning faintness, weakness, or illness, which was built on the verb "languere," to be faint or droop. English borrowed it through Old French "langour" in the 14th century, and for a long time it kept that bodily sense of being drained and unwell. Over the centuries the meaning softened. Writers began using it for a pleasant kind of listlessness, a drowsy, unhurried state that feels more like rest than sickness. The same word that once described a patient too weak to lift a hand now often describes a summer afternoon spent doing nothing.