languish

From Middle English languysshen, from the present participle stem of Anglo-Norman and Middle French languir, from Late Latin languīre, alteration of Latin languēre (“to be faint, unwell”).

Compare languor and lax.

Cognate with slack.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋɡwɪʃ

languish (third-person singular simple present languishes, present participle languishing, simple past and past participle languished)

1. (intransitive) To lose strength and become weak; to be in a state of weakness or sickness.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, 2 Esdras 8:31:

     We […] do languish of such diseases.

2. (intransitive) To pine away in longing for something; to have low spirits, especially from lovesickness.

   He languished without his girlfriend.

3. (intransitive) To live in miserable or disheartening conditions.

   He languished in prison for years.

4. (intransitive) To be neglected; to make little progress, be unsuccessful.

   The case languished for years before coming to trial.

5. (transitive, obsolete) To make weak; to weaken, devastate.
6. (intransitive, now rare) To affect a languid air, especially disingenuously.
   • 1815, Jane Austen, Emma:

     He is an excellent young man, and will suit Harriet exactly: it will be an "exactly so," as he says himself; but he does sigh and languish, and study for compliments rather more than I could endure as a principal.

   • a. 1833, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Eleänore”, in Poems, page 31:

     His bowstring slackened, languid Love, / Leaning his cheek upon his hand, / Droops both his wings, regarding thee, / And so would languish evermore, / Serene, imperial Eleänore.

• laugh-ins, nilghaus, haulings, haulsing