Etymology
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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.
Pronunciation
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languish (third-person singular simple present languishes, present participle languishing, simple past and past participle languished)
- (intransitive) To lose strength and become weak; to be in a state of weakness or sickness. [from 14th c.]
- (intransitive) To pine away in longing for something; to have low spirits, especially from lovesickness. [from 14th c.]
He languished without his girlfriend.
- (intransitive) To live in miserable or disheartening conditions. [from 15th c.]
He languished in prison for years.
- (intransitive) To be neglected; to make little progress, be unsuccessful. [from 17th c.]
The case languished for years before coming to trial.
- (transitive, obsolete) To make weak; to weaken, devastate. [15th–17th c.]
- (intransitive, now rare) To affect a languid air, especially disingenuously. [from 18th c.]
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.
Related terms
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Translations
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to lose strength and become weak
- Albanian: lëngoj (sq)
- Armenian: թառամել (hy) (tʿaṙamel), թուլանալ (hy) (tʿulanal), տկարանալ (hy) (tkaranal), հյուծվել (hy) (hyucvel)
- Bulgarian: отслабвам (bg) (otslabvam), отмалявам (bg) (otmaljavam)
- Catalan: decaure (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 憔悴 (zh) (qiáocuì)
- Czech: zeslábnout
- Danish: trættes
- Dutch: verzwakken (nl), verslappen (nl)
- Finnish: riutua (fi), nääntyä (fi)
- French: dépérir (fr), se cachectiser, se rabougrir, devenir étique
- German: ermatten (de), erschlaffen (de), siechen (de)
- Hungarian: gyengül (hu), lankad (hu), bágyad (hu), ernyed (hu), pilled (hu), erőtlenedik (hu), sorvad (hu) (all: prefixed with el- when referring to the result, not the process)
- Ido: langorar (io)
- Italian: intristire, languire (it)
- Japanese: 元気がなくなる (げんきがなくなる, genki ga nakunaru)
- Latin: marcesco
- Macedonian: о́слаби (óslabi)
- Maori: tārure
- Old English: dwīnan
- Persian: رنجور شدن (ranjur šodan)
- Polish: marnieć (pl) impf
- Portuguese: definhar (pt)
- Russian: ча́хнуть (ru) impf (čáxnutʹ), увяда́ть (ru) impf (uvjadátʹ), слабе́ть (ru) impf (slabétʹ)
- Spanish: atrofiar (es), marchitar (es), decaer (es)
- Swedish: försmäkta (sv), tyna bort (sv)
- Turkish: gevşemek (tr)
- Ukrainian: скні́ти impf (skníty)
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to pine away with longing
- Armenian: տանջվել (hy) (tanǰvel), թախծել (hy) (tʿaxcel), ուժից ընկնել (hy) (užicʿ ənknel), ուժասպառ լինել (užaspaṙ linel)
- Bulgarian: чезна (bg) (čezna)
- Catalan: llanguir (ca)
- Dutch: smachten (nl), verlangen (nl)
- Esperanto: velki
- Finnish: riutua (fi), räytyä (fi)
- French: languir (fr), se mourir (fr)
- German: schmachten (de), sehnen (de), sich verzehren
- Greek: μαραζώνω (el) (marazóno)
- Hungarian: eped (hu), epekedik (hu), sóvárog (hu)
- Macedonian: ве́нее (vénee), и́збледи (ízbledi)
- Maori: hiangongo
- Persian: بیحال شدن (bi-hâl šodan), در حسرت سوختن (dar hasrat suxtan)
- Polish: tęsknić (pl) impf
- Russian: тоскова́ть (ru) impf (toskovátʹ), изныва́ть (ru) impf (iznyvátʹ)
- Spanish: languidecer (es)
- Turkish: durgunlaşmak (tr)
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to live in miserable conditions
- Czech: živořit (cs)
- Dutch: kwijnen (nl), wegkwijnen (nl)
- Finnish: kitua (fi), riutua (fi), virua
- French: traîner une misérable éxistence, vivoter (fr)
- German: dahinsiechen (de), schmachten (de)
- Hungarian: senyved (hu), sínylődik (hu)
- Italian: vivachiare
- Japanese: 惨めに暮らす (みじめにくらす, mijime ni kurasu)
- Persian: ذله شدن (zelle šodan)
- Polish: dogorywać (pl) impf, pokutować (pl) impf
- Russian: томи́ться (ru) impf (tomítʹsja), прозяба́ть (ru) impf (prozjabátʹ), влачи́ть жа́лкое существова́ние impf (vlačítʹ žálkoje suščestvovánije)
- Spanish: sufrir (es), desperecer (es), ir tirando, malvivir (es)
- Turkish: sürünmek (tr)
- Ukrainian: скні́ти impf (skníty)
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to be neglected, to make little progress
- Dutch: stagneren (nl)
- Finnish: roikkua (fi)
- French: péricliter (fr), décliner (fr), stagner (fr), piétiner (fr), marquer le pas (fr), patauger (fr)
- Hungarian: (of a living being) tesped (hu), kókadozik (hu), darvadozik (hu), hervadozik (hu), sorvadozik (hu)
- Italian: stagnare (it), segnare il passo
- Persian: سرد شدن (fa) (sard šodan), مغفول ماندن (mağful mândan)
- Polish: wlec się (pl) impf
- Russian: тяну́ться (ru) impf (tjanútʹsja)
- Spanish: periclitar (es), debilitarse (es), estancarse (es), atascarse (es), enredarse (es)
- Ukrainian: скні́ти impf (skníty)
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Anagrams
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