languish
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languish
- [ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪʃ]
- [ˈleɪ̯ŋ.ɡwɪʃ]
- [ˈlɛ̃ŋ.ɡwɪʃ]
Rhymes with -æŋɡwɪʃ
Where it comes from
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, languid and lax.
: Cognate with slack.
verb languishes · languishing · languished
- To lose strength and become weak; to be in a state of weakness or sickness. We […] do languish of such diseases.
- To pine away in longing for something; to have low spirits, especially from lovesickness. He languished without his girlfriend.
-
To live in miserable or disheartening conditions.
He languished in prison for years.
Similar: rot
- To be neglected; to make little progress, be unsuccessful. The case languished for years before coming to trial.
- To make weak; to weaken, devastate.
- To affect a languid air, especially disingenuously. 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.
Translations
Every language
verb to lose strength and become weak
| Español | atrofiar, marchitar, decaer |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 元気がなくなる genki ga nakunaru |
| 中文 | 憔悴 qiáocuì |
| Português | definhar |
| Français | dépérir, se cachectiser, se rabougrir, devenir étique |
| Deutsch | ermatten, erschlaffen, siechen |
| Italiano | intristire, languire |
| Русский | ча́хнуть čáxnutʹ, увяда́ть uvjadátʹ, слабе́ть slabétʹ |
| العربية | فَتَرَ fatara, ضَعُفَ ḍaʕufa |
verb to pine away with longing
| Español | languidecer |
|---|---|
| Français | languir, se mourir |
| Deutsch | schmachten, sehnen, sich verzehren |
| Ελληνικά | μαραζώνω marazóno |
| Русский | тоскова́ть toskovátʹ, изныва́ть iznyvátʹ |
verb to live in miserable conditions
| Español | sufrir, desperecer, ir tirando, malvivir |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 惨めに暮らす mijime ni kurasu |
| Français | traîner une misérable éxistence, vivoter |
| Deutsch | dahinsiechen, schmachten |
| Italiano | vivachiare |
| Русский | томи́ться tomítʹsja, прозяба́ть prozjabátʹ, влачи́ть жа́лкое существова́ние vlačítʹ žálkoje suščestvovánije |
| العربية | قَبَعَ qabaʕa |
verb to be neglected, to make little progress
| Español | periclitar, debilitarse, estancarse, atascarse, enredarse |
|---|---|
| Français | péricliter, décliner, stagner, piétiner, marquer le pas, patauger |
| Italiano | stagnare, segnare il passo |
| Русский | тяну́ться tjanútʹsja |
| العربية | أُهْمِلَ ʔuhmila |
Talk about this word "languish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/languish. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. languish. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/languish "languish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/languish.Cite this
@misc{languish_2026,
title = {languish},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/languish},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
