Word of the Day - 06/07/26
lassitude
/'læsɪ,tud/(n.): a feeling of lack of interest or energy
After a long day of work, a profound lassitude settled over him, making even the thought of cooking dinner seem daunting.
(n.): weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy
The patient's prolonged illness was marked by an overwhelming lassitude that prevented her from performing simple daily tasks.
Word Origin
The word 'lassitude' originates from the Old French 'lassitude', which in turn comes from the Latin 'lassitudo'. In Latin, 'lassitudo' is derived from 'lassus', meaning 'faint' or 'weary', combined with the suffix '-tudo', which forms abstract nouns indicating a state or condition. Thus, 'lassitude' literally means 'the state of being weary'.
Other English words sharing the Latin suffix '-tudo' (which became '-tude' in English) include 'magnitude' (from Latin 'magnitudo', meaning 'greatness'), 'solitude' (from Latin 'solitudo', meaning 'aloneness'), and 'fortitude' (from Latin 'fortitudo', meaning 'strength'). These words all denote a state or condition, similar to 'lassitude'.
As a reminder, here are all of the words from this week:
callow scion hyponym
lassitude
See if you can remember all of this week's words! Here is a sentence that includes all seven, followed by a version that simplifies them to help you remember:
The callow scion of a genteel family listened with growing lassitude as the rowing team's coxswain paused to remonstrate with him for repeatedly confusing a hyponym with its broader category during practice.The inexperienced heir of a refined family listened with growing weariness as the rowing team's boat leader paused to scold him for repeatedly confusing a specific type of word with its broader category during practice.