Languor

Medical Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A state of weakness, fatigue, or lack of energy. In poetry it often conveys gentle exhaustion, dreamy calm, or emotional melancholy.

Detailed Definition
Languor refers to a feeling of physical weakness or slow weariness that drains energy and vitality. Though mild compared with acute illness, it has long appeared in literary descriptions of mood and atmosphere. Poets frequently use languor to evoke a dreamy state in which movement and thought slow down. The word may suggest summer heat, emotional sadness, or romantic melancholy, creating a soft mood of quiet fatigue rather than dramatic suffering.
Example
Example in poetry:
The afternoon heat induced a sweet languor; Poets describe the languor of a lazy summer day; She moved with a graceful and slow languor; The illness left him in a state of deep languor; He enjoyed the languor of retirement by the sea; Languor often precedes sleep in romantic poetry.
Additional Notes
Languor refers to weakness or gentle fatigue. In poetry the word often conveys dreamy calm rather than severe illness. Romantic writers used languor to describe peaceful idleness, warm summer afternoons, or the slow relaxation of the body. The term may also suggest emotional melancholy or romantic longing. Its soft sound and associations with rest make it common in lyrical descriptions.
Also Known As
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