The latest weather predictions indicate a warmer than usual summer for southern Saskatchewan. If this is so, then I am not looking forward to the +30C temperatures because I get lethargic in the afternoons, and not much gets done, when the temperature gets that hot.
Lethargic means of, relating to, or characterized by laziness or lack of energy. Lethargic implies feeling drained, even with minimal exertion. Mentally, lethargic people have slow reflexes, poor concentration, and seem to be in a brain fog.
Lethargic has been used in the English language since the 14th century. Lethargic comes from the Latin lethargicus, which originated in the Greek lethargia, meaning forgetfulness and drowsiness, which comes from the Greek word lethe (forgetting).
In Greek mythology, the River of Unmindfulness, located in the underworld, was named Lethe. Lethe was the daughter of Eris (strife) and the personification of oblivion. It was believed that the newly dead who drank from the River Lethe would lose all memory of their past existence. Those who were taught this while still living were encouraged to seek the River Mnemosyne (memory), to help their survival in the underworld.
The Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC) wrote in Book X of The Republic, “then towards evening they encamped by the river of Unmindfulness, whose water no vessel can hold; of this they were all obliged to drink a certain quantity, and those who were not saved by wisdom drank more than was necessary; and each one as he drank forgot all things.”
Synonyms of lethargic can be sleepy, sluggish, unenergetic, groggy, stuporous, listless, and lackadaisical.
Sleepy can mean having little activity. The small town on the east coast of Nova Scotia was a sleepy little village, perfect for a vacation to get away from it all.
Sluggish suggests markedly slow in movement, flow, or growth. The sluggish pace of the venture was a constant worry for the manager of the project.
Unenergetic implies lack of energy or enterprise. After her surgery she was unenergetic for a couple of weeks during her recovery phase.
Groggy means weak and unsteady on the feet or in action. Whenever I lay down for a short rest during the day I try to make sure I do not fall asleep, because if I do I am groggy for the rest of the day.
Stuporous implies being slow and muddled. Some people are stuporous when they wake up in the morning; others are alert and lively.
Listless suggests slow spirited and limp. During the afternoon session at the conference he was listless and could hardly stay awake from the boredom.
Lackadaisical means deficient in liveliness. The boss was concerned about her lackadaisical attitude which showed no enthusiasm for the work and issued forth a half-hearted effort.
Lethargic can indicate a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or motivation to do regular tasks. He went through the motions of cleaning the bathrooms, not doing a very good job, as he felt very lethargic that day.
Lethargic can also imply indifference or apathy. The government was lethargic in considering the changes that polls indicated a majority of the population desired.
Physicians can be concerned that feeling lethargic for a length of time can be a response to underlying medical issues, such as viral infections, thyroid conditions, or mental health struggles.
Apathy and lack of motivation are emotional symptoms of a lethargic condition. Fans get concerned when their favourite sports team produces a lethargic performance.
I often find that after a big meal at Thanksgiving I become noticeably lethargic. Although a second offering of dessert sometimes rouses me to action.
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
