Word of the Day

: December 12, 2008

hebetude

noun HEB-uh-tood

What It Means

: lethargy, dullness

hebetude in Context

The hebetude and ennui displayed by such bright students was just one sign that they were not being sufficiently challenged in their classes.

Did You Know?

"Hebetude" usually suggests mental dullness, often marked by laziness or torpor. As such, it was a good word for one Queenslander correspondent, who wrote in a letter to the editor of the Weekend Australian of "an epidemic of hebetude among young people who … are placing too great a reliance on electronic devices to do their thinking and remembering." "Hebetude" comes from Late Latin "hebetudo," which means pretty much the same thing as our word. It is also closely related to the Latin word for "dull" -- "hebes," which has extended meanings such as "obtuse," "doltish," and "stupid." Other "hebe-" words in English include "hebetudinous" ("marked by hebetude") and "hebetate" ("to make dull").