languish: Meaning and Definition of

lan•guish

Pronunciation: (lang'gwish), [key]
— v.i.
  1. to be or become weak or feeble; droop; fade.
  2. to lose vigor and vitality.
  3. to undergo neglect or experience prolonged inactivity; suffer hardship and distress: to languish in prison for ten years.
  4. to be subjected to delay or disregard; be ignored: a petition that languished on the warden's desk for a year.
  5. to pine with desire or longing.
  6. to assume an expression of tender, sentimental melancholy.
—n.
  1. the act or state of languishing.
  2. a tender, melancholy look or expression.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: