languere

languere, ~escere [CL] 1 (w. person, animal, part of body, or sim., as subj.) to be or become weak, faint, feeble: a (physically; also in fig. context); b (psychologically or spiritually). a videbantur brachia remigum ~escere et navis resistere velle Gosc. Transl. Mild. 15; in capitis languore secus est; eo enim male se habente ‥ ~ent sensus Alf. Angl. Cor 10. 11; palatum ‥ carnalium sapore infatuatum eorumque appetitu ~escens ad gustus suavissimos vere hujus sapientiae ‥ fugit J. Ford Serm. 110. 12; caro congelascet, crura rigescent ‥, pectus anhelabit, cervix ~escet, spumabunt labia P. Blois Ep. 117. 348B; bibam, et utinam sitis sic urgeat / ut bibens sitiat et semper langueat Walt. Wimb. Carm. 169. b ~escit ‥ graviter anima quae magnis est vitiorum subacta ponderibus Bede Cant. 1204; vilis mens mea ‥ bonae ‥ voluntatis ~et imbecillitate Anselm (Ep. 50) III 163; divina virtus ‥ incommutabilis est ad perseverandum, ut non ~eat [Trevisa: wearieþ nouȝt] seu infirmetur ‥ temporis diuturnitate Bart. Angl. II 16; ex hoc ‥ ceperunt inclusorum pectora timore ~escere Ps.-Elmh. Hen. V 123 p. 321. 2 to be or become (physically) sick, unwell; b (w. indication of illness or cause, usu. in abl.). c (in extremis ~ere) to suffer one’s last illness, to be sick and at the point of death. d (pr. ppl. m. or f. as sb.) sick person, invalid, (w. abl.) person suffering from specified disease. ~entes homines aut pecudes ‥ sanitati restituuntur Bede HE III 2 p. 129; adulescentem cui oculus ~ebat Ib. IV 30 (32) p. 280; mulier totis paralitica menbris / continuis semper septenis langŭĭt annis Alcuin WillV 30. 2; languentis pueri Mir. Nin. 309 (v. 6a infra); lunatici ‥ qui ‥ pro lune augmento cerebro excrescente ~escunt Gir. TH II 3 p. 79; 1313 verberavit Robertum ‥, per quod idem Robertus ~ebat per quindenam Leet Norw. 58. b estne aliquis ‥ adhuc pestilentia ista ~ens ‥? V. Cuthb. IV 6; febre puer quidam jacuit ‥ / ‥ languens Alcuin SS Ebor 381; W. Poit. II 27 (v. dysenteria); plus quam vij annis calculi molestia ~it Ord. Vit. V 18 p. 438; 1266 per aliam infirmitatem ‥ ~it (v. 2 flexus 2b); 1298 sic inde ~ebat (v. 3 firmatio); 1457 capiendo quolibet anno ‥ octo marcas ‥ sive sanitate gaudeat sive infirmitate ~eat Wills Richm. 3. c AncrR 120 (v. extremus 3c); in extremis ~iens ‥ viam universe carnis est ingressus (Anon. chron.) Illust. Scot. 9; 1370 prout T. ‥ filius ejus ~ens in extremis fatebatur Hal. Durh. 97. d qui primus e ~entibus descendisset, unus sanabatur [cf. Joh. v 3–4] Bede Cant. 1193; cum plura videret / agmina languentem dubia sub morte gravari Wulf. Swith. II 247; propriam sepe scutellam ‥ mittere festinabat cuipiam ~enti V. Gund. 29; variis ~entes infirmitatibus ‥ optatam recipere sanitatem consueverant Gir. IK I 2 p. 32. 3 a (w. ref. to spiritual sickness or affliction); b (w. ref. to var. types of suffering). a ~escens [v. l. ~ens] anima peccatis ‥ sanctorum exemplis convalescit Bede Acts 966; pontificali cura mederi ~entibus studuerunt Ord. Vit. VII 7 p. 177; ~eo ‥ et in ‥ expectatione convalescentie mee contabesco J. Ford Serm. 22. 7. b ut [rex] ~enti ecclesie Dei misereque regioni suffragaretur lacrimabiliter postulaverunt Ord. Vit. XI 10 p. 199; dumque cupis nec amata capis, quo vulnere languet, / qua, precor, afficitur morte fidelis amor! L. Durh. Dial. IV 467; 1188 (v. frixorius c); sanitas [sc. Christus] languet ut saneris J. Howd. Cant. 342 (cf. Walt. Wimb. Carm. 636: languescit sanitas et vita moritur). 4 a to be weak or sick (with love or desire), to yearn, long (freq. w. amore or other abl.). b (w. post, pro) to yearn (for), long (for). c (w. ut) to long (to). d to be in mourning, grieve. e (trans.) to mourn (the dead). a ~et ‥ amore anima quae ‥ sui auctoris caritatem veraciter degustat Bede Cant. [ii 5] 1105; vestro ‥ amore ~eat cor meum, liquefiat anima mea, deficiat caro mea Anselm (Or. 7) III 24; non dixit ‘amore egroto’ vel ‘amore infirmior’ sed ‘amore ~eo’ [Cant. v 8], diuturnam videlicet innuens egritudinem J. Ford Serm. 1. 5; desiderio ~ens Ib. 38. 7; P. Blois Carm. 11. 3. 24; etc. (v. languor 2c); to longue, ~ere, appetere Levins Manip. 167. 5. b miserare, domina, animam post te anhelando ~entem Anselm (Or. 7) III 21; si homo esset ‥ peregre profectus, et si diceretur quod ‥ sponsa sic pro eo ~eret [ME: murnede efter him] quod sine eo in nulla re delectaretur ‥ AncrR 143; [anima] post eum [sc. Dominum] ~et Ib.. c ex ipsius [sc. amoris] ‥ influencia ~it anima mea ut te videat quem optavit ardenter Rolle IA 35 p. 247. d nunc, Auguste, [Roma] tuo funere languens / bino se viduam lumine plangit (Vers.) W. Malm. GR II 194. e quod [pellicanus] interficit filios suos eosque per triduum ~et, deinde ‥ aspersione sui sanguinis pullos vivificat [cf. Isid. Etym. XII 7. 26: eos ‥ lugere] Bacon CSPhil. 488. 5 a (w. person, attribute, mind, or sim., as subj.) to be or become idle, sluggish; b (w. ad or in specifying area of inactivity). c (w. emotion as subj.) to lack or lose vigour, fervour, to be or become cool. a ehu, quanto tepore ~et mens mea! Anselm (Or. 14) III 57; at ille non impari calliditate ‥ ‘vetito’ instantes ‘passus languescere bello’ [Lucan Bell. Civ. IV 281] W. Malm. GR IV 381; Lucian Chester 42 (v. frigus 5); s1438 illa torpens et ~ens hebetudo claustralium Amund. II 197. b monachus ‥ ad omne utile exercitium ~escit et nulla bonorum operum ubertate ditescit Anselm (Ep. 37) III 146; licet tam arduis virtutum vacaret exercitiis, in litterarum tamen non ~ebat studio [dist. fr. viguit] V. Edm. Rich P 1786A. c haec ‥ est natura irae ut dilata ~escat et pereat, prolata vero ‥ conflagret Bede Prov. 976; ut bene vivendi studium ‥ nullatenus ~escat sed ‥ fervescat Anselm (Ep. 167) IV 42; passus est ardores eorum ad tempus negata preda ~escere W. Malm. GP I 51 p. 96; ubi ‥ amor fervet ‥, ubi non ~et affectio J. Ford Serm. 34. 2. 6 (w. inanimate subj.): a (of daylight or sun) to be or become dim, faint. b (of plant) to droop, wilt. c (of sail, banner, or sim.) to droop. d (of water) to be motionless, stagnant. e (of activity) to proceed sluggishly. a languescente die linquebant saucia membra / languentis pueri Mir. Nin. 308; splendor solis electro Mercurii ~ebit (Proph. Merlini) G. Mon. VII 4; Walt. Wimb. Van. 50 (v. furvescere). b rosa languescit saucia dolaturis J. Howd. Cant. 100; c1435 arbor ‥ devirata ~escit (v. devirare 2). c aura cadit, languent vela, carina riget L. Durh. Dial. III 88; J. Exon. BT VI 7 (v. draco 2d). d languentis ‥ arva profundi L. Durh. Dial. III 105. e ~it opus G. S. Alb. I 219 (v. domitialis 2). 7 f. l. †languens [l. longaevus], valde senex GlC L 282.

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