Languid

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈlæŋɡwɪd/

Definitions

1. Moving or speaking in a slow, relaxed manner that suggests tiredness or lack of energy
2. lacking physical or mental vigor and moving or acting with unhurried slowness due to weariness or indifference
3. characterized by a sluggish, unhurried quality that reflects fatigue, apathy, or a relaxed absence of urgency

Etymology: Latin "langueō" meant to be faint, weak, idle or listless, and "languidus" grew from it with the suffix "-idus", which turns a verb into an adjective meaning "tending to" that state. So a languid thing was, at root, one inclined to go limp. The same Latin base gave English "languish", a close relative that kept the sense of wasting away, while "languid" settled into the gentler picture of someone too drained to hurry. The word reached English by way of Middle French "languide", which already carried the senses of fatigued, weak and apathetic. Its family is widespread in the Romance languages: Italian "languido", Spanish "lánguido" and Portuguese "lânguido" all keep the same core meaning of weakness and listlessness.

Synonyms: listless, weak, sluggish, lethargic, weary

Antonyms: energetic, vigorous, active, dynamic