Slumber

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈslʌm.bə/

Definitions

1. A state of sleep, typically deep and peaceful, or to rest in such a state
2. A condition characterized by deep, peaceful sleep or a period of rest wherein one is largely unaware of their environment
3. A state of rest involving sleep, often calm and undisturbed ; to rest briefly or doze lightly during the day

Etymology: The surprising thing about "slumber" is that its roots point to looseness rather than rest. The Old English "slūma" was tied to a Proto-Germanic idea of something slack, loose, limp or flabby, the sense of a body gone floppy as it gives way to sleep. The same root shows up across the Germanic languages, where Dutch "sluimeren", German "schlummern" and Swedish "slummer" all mean to doze or sleep lightly. The verb came later. Middle English "slombren" and "slomren" were frequentative forms, verbs built to describe repeated or continued action, of the earlier "slummen" or "slumen", meaning to doze. In other words, English first had a noun for the drowsy state and then built a verb from a related form to describe spending time in it. The modern spelling with a "b" grew out of that Middle English "slombren", where the "b" was inserted in the sound pattern, and the word has kept its gentle, drowsy character ever since.

Synonyms: sleep, doze, nap

Antonyms: wake, awake