Word of the Day

: October 26, 2010

lethargic

adjective luh-THAHR-jik

What It Means

1 : of, relating to, or characterized by lethargy : sluggish

2 : indifferent, apathetic

lethargic in Context

After eating a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs I often feel lethargic and sleepy.

"What's not to like about a $30 billion boost to small biz, which has been taking it on the chin on this lethargic recovery? Perhaps only that it will be insufficient to counter the strong headwinds that small companies are facing." -- From John Curran’s "The Curious Capitalist" blog on Time.com, September 17, 2010

Did You Know?

In Greek mythology, Lethe was the name of a river in the underworld that was also called "the River of Unmindfulness" or "the River of Forgetfulness." Legend held that when someone died, he or she was given a drink of water from the river Lethe to forget all about his or her past life. Eventually this act of forgetting came to be associated with feelings of sluggishness, inactivity, or indifference. The name of the river and the word "lethargic," as well as the related noun "lethargy," all derive from "lethe," Greek for "forgetfulness."

Test Your Memory: What former Word of the Day comes from Turkish and Arabic and means "fate." The answer is ...