hebetudinous (heb-i-TOOD-n-uhs -TYOOD-) adjective
Dull or lethargic, especially relating to the mind.
[From Late Latin hebetudo (dullness), from Latin hebes (dull).]
“Examination of precedents led the judge to his conclusion, but he had something to say first: ‘It would be hebetudinous and obtuse to fail to be cognizant of the adverse consequences of a ruling in this case.”
-James J. Kilpatrick; A Clown And a Blowhard on the Bench; Buffalo News; Apr 10, 1993.
“The audience waits in a kind of hebetudinous fixation, perhaps astonished at the perfectly sustained level of mediocrity.”
-Kevin Kelly; ‘Aspects of Love’: Unlovable; The Boston Globe; Apr 27, 1990.
“I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am.” Those candid words of Samuel Johnson, lexicographer extraordinaire, provide a perceptive observation on the human condition. A language is a mirror of its people. As a disinterested record of the language, a dictionary serves as an accurate window to the culture. It’s not surprising that there are more words to describe people who fall on the wrong side than on the good. In this week’s AWAD we’ll look at words for people on both sides.
-Anu Garg
anu@wordsmith.org
1 Comment
Rebecca Oct 11, 2004 12:13 PM
I awoke in a hebetudinous state this morning, ambitions and abilities played out by the weekend’s events.
**I like this word that showed up in my inbox this morning because it sounds a bit like pulchritudinous, a word Andrew taught me when he was in 3rd grade or something. It’s hard to believe “pulchritude” means great physical beauty and appeal. On the other hand, it’s easy to believe “hebetude” means dullness of mind, lethargy. When you say it, it sounds like you have a stuffed up nose — lethargy indeed!