Sluggishest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Exhibiting the greatest degree of slowness or lack of energy
2. Demonstrating the highest level of lethargy or delayed movement
3. Being the most inactive or slowest in action or response

Etymology: This word is an inflected form, the superlative of "sluggish", which means slower than all others. Its base is "sluggish", formed from "slug" (the creature, and in older use a sluggard or lazy person) plus the suffix "-ish", meaning "having the quality of" or "somewhat". The suffix descends from an ancient Germanic element that Old English already used as "-isc" and that later became "-ish" in English. Adding "-est" to form the superlative follows the same pattern as "slow" becoming "slowest". The result is a word that literally describes something as the most like a slug in its movement, a comparison with a creature famous for its pace.