Word of the Day

: April 29, 2017

lethargic

adjective luh-THAHR-jik

What It Means

1 : of, relating to, or characterized by laziness or lack of energy : feeling or affected by lethargy : sluggish

2 : indifferent, apathetic

lethargic in Context

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

"The cold water temperatures slow down the metabolism of the fish, and they become very lethargic." — Jim Hutchinson, Asbury Park (New Jersey) Press, 9 Mar. 2017

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 lēthē, Greek for "forgetfulness."