• Lethargy

    Pronunciation

    • RP IPA: /ˈlɛθədÊ’i/
    • US IPA: /ˈlɛθɚdÊ’i/

    Origin

    From Latin lēthargia, from Ancient Greek ληθαργία (lēthargia, "drowsiness"), from λήθαργος (lēthargos, "forgetful, lethargic"), from λήθη (lēthē, "forgetfulness") + ἀργός (argos, "not working").

    Full definition of lethargy

    Noun

    lethargy

    (countable and uncountable; plural lethargys)
    1. (pathology) A condition characterized by extreme fatigue or drowsiness, or prolonged sleep patterns. from 14th c.
      • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part 2:This Apoplexie is (as I take it) a kind of Lethargie, a sleeping of the blood, a horson Tingling.
      • 2003, Amanda Ripley, "At Last, the Pill for Men", Time, 20 Oct 2003:So in order to avoid unpleasant side effects like lethargy and sexual dysfunction, most recent trials also gave men testosterone supplements.
    2. A state of extreme torpor or apathy, especially with lack of emotion or interest; loosely, sluggishness, laziness. from 14th c.
      • AtterburyEurope lay then under a deep lethargy.
      • 1995, Bruce W Nelan, "Crime and Punishment", Time, 20 Mar 1995:Yakovlev, one of the architects of the reforms put in place by Mikhail Gorbachev, says he too is "amazed" at the government's lethargy.
      • 2008, Nick Fletcher, The Guardian, 9 May 2008:The increase in mining stocks helped the FTSE 100 shake off some earlier lethargy and close 9.8 points higher at 6270.8, despite the disappointment of unchanged UK interest rates.
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