different between languish vs enervate

English

Etymology

From Middle English languysshen, from the present participle stem of Anglo-Norman and Middle French languir, from Late Latin *languire, alteration of Latin langu?re (“to be faint, unwell”).

Compare languor and lax.

Cognate with slack.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?læ?.?w??/
• Rhymes: -æ??w??

Verb

languish (third-person singular simple present languishes, present participle languishing, simple past and past participle languished)

1. (intransitive) To lose strength and become weak; to be in a state of weakness or sickness. [from 14th c.]

   • We […] do languish of such diseases.

2. (intransitive) To pine away in longing for something; to have low spirits, especially from lovesickness. [from 14th c.]

   He languished without his girlfriend

3. (intransitive) To live in miserable or disheartening conditions. [from 15th c.]

   He languished in prison for years

4. (intransitive) To be neglected; to make little progress, be unsuccessful. [from 17th c.]

   The case languished for years before coming to trial.

5. (transitive, obsolete) To make weak; to weaken, devastate. [15th-17th c.]
6. (intransitive, now rare) To affect a languid air, especially disingenuously. [from 18th c.]

Related terms

• languid
• languor
• languorous

Translations

Anagrams

• haulings, haulsing, nilghaus

English

Etymology

From Latin ?nerv?tus, past participle of ?nerv? (“to weaken”).

Pronunciation

• (verb): IPA^(key): /??n.?(?)?ve?t/ (UK)
• (adjective): IPA^(key): /??n.?(?).v?t/ (UK)

Verb

enervate (third-person singular simple present enervates, present participle enervating, simple past and past participle enervated)

1. (transitive) To reduce strength or energy; debilitate.

   After being laid off three times in a row, she felt too enervated to look for another job.

2. (transitive) To weaken morally or mentally.
3. (medicine) To partially or completely remove a nerve.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:enervate.

Synonyms

• (reduce strength): debilitate, weaken

Antonyms

• (reduce strength): strengthen, revive
• (reduce morally, mentally): bolster

Translations

Adjective

enervate (comparative more enervate, superlative most enervate)

1. Made feeble; weakened.

Anagrams

• venerate

Latin

Participle

?nerv?te

1. vocative masculine singular of ?nerv?tus