languid

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle French languide (“fatigued, weak; apathetic, indifferent”) (modern French languide), or from its etymon Latin languidus (“faint, weak; dull; slow, sluggish; ill, sick, unwell; (figuratively) inactive, inert, listless”), from langueō (“to be faint or weak; (figuratively) to be idle, inactive, or listless”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg-, *(s)leh₁g- (“to weaken”)) + -idus (suffix meaning ‘tending to’ forming adjectives). Doublet of languish. cognates * Italian languido (“languid; languishing”) * Portuguese lânguido (“languid; listless”) * Spanish lánguido (“languid, weak”)

adj

1. Of a person or animal, or their body functions: flagging from weakness, or inactive or weak, especially due to illness or tiredness; faint, listless.
2. Of a person or their movement: showing a dislike for physical effort; leisurely, unhurried.
   Darkness fell before we reached the Belgian frontier, and on through the night our train took her languid way. 1946 January and February, 'Talisman', “Bückeburg to Aberayron”, in Railway Magazine, page 41
3. Of a person or their actions, character, etc.: lacking drive, emotion, or enthusiasm; apathetic, listless, spiritless, unenthusiastic.
4. Of a colour: not bright; dull, muted.
5. Of an idea, writing, etc.: dull, uninteresting.
6. Of a period of time: characterized by lack of activity; pleasant and relaxed; unstressful.
7. Of a thing: lacking energy, liveliness, or strength; inactive, slow-moving, weak.
   languid breathing    languid movements

Etymology 2

A variant of languet.

noun

1. Synonym of languet (“a flat plate in (or opposite and below the mouth of) the pipe of an organ”)
   A new method of voicing flue pipes has recently been introduced by which a greater volume of tone is obtained without increasing the wind pressure. This is accomplished by making use of TWO languids in metal pipes with a space between the upper and lower languids. As may be required, a small hole is bored in either of the languids, or in the back of the pipe in the space between the two languids. 1913, William Horatio Clarke, “Double Languids”, in Standard Organ Building, Boston, Mass.: Richard G. Badger, the Gorham Press, →OCLC, page 150