languish
/ˈlæŋgwɪʃ/verb
no obj.
1
- (of a person or other living thing) lose or lack vitality; grow weak or feeble（人, 生物）失去（或缺少）活力; 变得衰弱：
plants may appear to be languishing simply because they are dormant.
植物可能会显得病恹恹的, 那只是因为它们处于休眠期中。
1.1
- fail to make progress or be successful没有进展没有成功：
Kelso languish near the bottom of the Scottish First Division.
凯尔索队徘徊在苏格兰甲级联赛榜的榜尾。
1.2
- archaic pine with love or grief〈古〉思恋, 哀思：
she still languished after Richard.
她还在苦苦思恋着理查德。
1.3
- archaic assume or display a sentimentally tender or melancholy expression or tone〈古〉摆出一副情意真切的温柔（或忧伤的）模样; 显示出温柔亲切（或忧伤）的样子：
when a visitor comes in, she smiles and languishes.
有客来访时, 她面带笑容, 随即就变得愁容满面。
2
- be forced to remain in an unpleasant place or situation被迫处于逆境：
he has been languishing in a Mexican jail since 1974.
1974年以来他一直在墨西哥一监狱中受折磨。
派生词
languisher
nounlanguishingly
adverblanguishment
noun （〈古〉）词源
Middle English （in the sense 'become faint， feeble， or ill'）： from Old French languiss-, lengthened stem of languir 'languish'， from a variant of Latin languere, related to laxus 'loose， lax'.