Torpor
/ˈtɔːr.pər/noun
A state of physical or mental inactivity, lethargy, or sluggishness.
Did you know?Torpor entered English through Latin, where torpor meant not just sluggishness but a kind of numb, deadened state — the same root also gave us words tied to stiffness and rigidity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ter-
“to rub, turn, or bore; a root associated with friction and hardness”
Latin
Latin
torpor
“numbness, sluggishness, inactivity”
Late Latin
Latin
torpēre
“to be numb, sluggish, or motionless”
Old French
Old French
torpeur
“stupor, numbness, lethargy”
Middle English
English
torpor
“stupor, mental dullness, lethargy”
Modern English
English
torpor
“a state of physical or mental inactivity or sluggishness”