lassitude
nounUK /ˈlæsɪˌtjuːd/ · US /ˈlæsɪˌtud/
Etymology Borrowed from French lassitude, from Latin lassitūdō (“faintness, weariness”), from lassus (“faint, weary”), perhaps for *ladtus, and thus akin to English late.
1
Lethargy or lack of energy; fatigue, languor, listlessness
- Rufus Dawes, though his eyelids would scarcely keep open, and a terrible lassitude almost paralysed his limbs, eagerly drank in the whispered sentence.1833, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Heath's Book of Beauty, 1833-The Enchantress:
- Rufus Dawes, though his eyelids would scarcely keep open, and a terrible lassitude almost paralysed his limbs, eagerly drank in the whispered sentence.1874, Marcus Clarke, chapter VII, in For the Term of His Natural Life:
3 more examples
- "Then it's No, darling?" he said at last. She gave a gesture of lassitude. She was exhausted. "The studio is yours. Everything belongs to you. If you want to bring him here, how can I prevent you?"1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 25”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:
- In order to appear busy, one should pace around the office clutching files.... The best part of this ancient ritual is that it tends to make one's colleagues look away—just in case you and your papers are going to interrupt their own lassitude.2004 August 16, “Is Slacking the Only Way to Survive the Office?”, in The Scotsman, Edinburgh:
- At Euro 2004 and the 2002 World Cup, Blatter commented this week, many stars were physically and mentally exhausted, and left an aftertaste of nonchalance and lassitude.2004 August 11, Rob Hughes, “Soccer: The Olympic Flame Running Low on Fuel”, in International Herald Tribune, Paris: