Sloth: A Dictionary for the Lazy Read online

  SLOTH

  A DICTIONARY FOR THE LAZY

  JENNIFER M. WOOD

  An Introduction to

  Sloth

  sloth

  (slawth)

  NOUN: Consistent aversion to exertion.

  North winds set Odysseus off-course landing him on the island of the Lotus Eaters. Tempted by the native tribe’s beautiful bounty of delicious flowers, the men who indulged lost their fervor to venture on. Lethargy enwrapped the sailors as the allure of the Lotus Eaters’ indolence subdued any want to return home. Similar to the power of the island people’s plant, the strength of sloth is in the sin’s subtle ability to make one disregard their responsibilities, dissolve any resolve to achieve, and laze about without worry. Clear the cloudiness of languor by leafing through the dictionary that defines the idlest of vices.

  A

  abeyance

  (uh-BEH-uhns)

  NOUN: Being in a state of temporary inactivity. The word is often preceded by “in” or “into.”

  abjure

  (ab-JUR)

  VERB: To avoid or abstain from; to recant or renounce, possibly under oath.

  abortive

  (ah-BAWR-tiv)

  ADJECTIVE: Failing to come to completion.

  Her pre-emptively ABORTIVE nature left remnants of projects in progress strewn about the house.

  abstain

  (ab-STAYN)

  VERB: To refrain from doing something desirable; often used in relation to alcohol consumption or sexual activity.

  accumbent

  (uh-KUHM-buhnt)

  ADJECTIVE: In a reclined position; recumbent.

  acedia

  (uh-SEE-dee-uh)

  NOUN: A state of indifference, especially in relation to spiritual or religious matters.

  aimless

  (EYM-lis)

  ADJECTIVE: Without a clear direction; purposeless.

  aloof

  (uh-LOOF)

  ADJECTIVE: Disinterested or indifferent.

  amble

  (am-BUHL)

  VERB: To move at a slow pace; meander.

  The old man would AMBLE aimlessly between the couch and the bed a few times a day.

  apathetic

  (ap-uh-THET-ik)

  ADJECTIVE: Uncaring or uninterested.

  aposiopesis

  (ap-uh-sy-uh-PEE-sis)

  NOUN: Stopping talking in the midst of a sentence, either because you physically cannot or mentally do not want to; an unfinished thought.

  I don’t think necessity is the mother of invention. Invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness. To save oneself trouble.

  —AGATHA CHRISTIE

  ardorless

  (AHR-der-lis)

  ADJECTIVE: Without warmth or passion; lack of enthusiasm.

  She was so ARDORLESS that her face remained cold and bored, even when holding her newborn daughter.

  B

  backside

  (BAK-syd)

  NOUN: Buttocks; rearend.

  backrest

  (BAK-rest)

  NOUN: A support or rest for one’s back.

  bagatelle

  (bag-uh-tel)

  NOUN: A thing of little importance; a very easy task.

  Her day is filled with many small and meaningless activities; each BAGATELLE demanding very little of her attention.

  baked

  (BAY-kt)

  ADJECTIVE: Intoxicated to the point of lethargy.

  balk

  (bawk)

  VERB: To stop oneself from moving forward; to hesitate from accomplishing a goal.

  Sloth and silence

  are a fool’s virtues.

  —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

  barnacle

  (BAHR-nuh-kuhl)

  NOUN: Something that attaches itself to something else in a dogged manner; a crustacean that gloms onto the bottom of a boat.

  beachcomber

  (BEECH-koh-mer)

  NOUN: Literally, a person who combs the beach looking for valuables that others may have left behind.

  beck

  (bek)

  NOUN: A signal or gesture to summon or direct someone.

  bed

  (bed)

  NOUN: A piece of furniture upon which one sleeps or rests.

  bedfast

  (BED-fast)

  ADJECTIVE: Restricted to one’s bed.

  bedroom

  (BED-room)

  NOUN: A room intended for sleeping.

  boondoggle

  (BOON-dog-hul)

  NOUN: An activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value. When used as a verb, it can mean to deceive or to engage in an activity of little value.

  bootless

  (BOOT-lis)

  ADJECTIVE: Failing to achieve result or advantage; fruitless.

  All of our BOOTLESS searching felt like a waste, yet we continued looking for the legendary document.

  bum

  (buhm)

  NOUN: A slacker; the word is often used (in a disparaging manner) in reference to homeless people.

  bystander

  (BY-stan-der)

  NOUN: One who observes an activity but does not get involved in it.

  C

  careless

  (KAYR-lis)

  ADJECTIVE: Without care or concern; negligent.

  catnap

  (KAT-nap)

  NOUN: A quick nap; as a verb, it’s the act of taking a quick nap.

  cavalier

  (KAV-uh-leer)

  ADJECTIVE: Showing a lack of concern for an otherwise important person or thing; disdainful.

  He was CAVALIER regarding the wedding; while his future bride planned fervidly and glowed with excitement, he stared ahead, unblinking.

  cessation

  (se-SAY-shuhn)

  NOUN: A stoppage, often permanently; termination.

  chill

  (chil)

  VERB: Traditionally referring to a feeling of coldness, it’s also slang for the act of relaxing; to hang out.

  Ambition is a poor excuse

  for not having sense enough to be lazy.

  —EDGAR BERGEN

  clock-watcher

  (klok-WOCH-er)

  NOUN: Originally used to refer to an apathetic employee who spends his or her day watching the clock for when it’s time to go home, the phrase can be used to describe anyone with a clear lack of interest in an activity.

  comatose

  (KOHM-muh-tohs)

  ADJECTIVE: In addition to being used in a medical setting to characterize someone in a coma, it can also be used to describe a lack of energy or awareness.

  conciliatory

  (kohn-SIL-ee-uh-tawr-ee)

  ADJECTIVE: Describes someone or thing that is pacifying or willing to compromise to keep peace.

  With his CONCILIATORY payment in hand, he promised to be on his best behavior for the rest of the event.

  costive

  (KAW-stiv)

  ADJECTIVE: Traditionally refers to constipation of anything that causes constipation but is also used to describe slow or listless people and things.

  couch

  (kouch)

  VERB: As a noun, it’s a piece of furniture; as a verb, it can mean to lie down or lay something down in order to rest.

  couch potato

  (kouch puh-TAY-toh)

  NOUN: An inactive person who spends all of his or her time on the couch, watching TV or being otherwise entertained from a sedentary position.

  couchant

  (KOU-chuhnt)

  ADJECTIVE: Lying down but with a raised head.

  It is extremely d
ifficult to dine COUCHANT, but Adele was so lazy and so willing to sit up that she eventually found a way.

  cunctation

  (kohngk-TAY-shuhn)

  NOUN: A hesitation or delay.

  D

  dabbler

  (DAB-ler)

  NOUN: One who participates in an event or interest on a superficial level only; dilettante.

  He was a DABBLER in music and never learned to play any instrument particularly well.

  dally

  (DAL-ee)

  VERB: To waste time or loiter; to act in a playful manner.

  dawdle

  (DAWD-l)

  VERB: To loiter; to waste time unnecessarily.

  deadness

  (DED-nis)

  NOUN: A lack of inactivity so as to appear to be without life; numbness; extreme exhaustion.

  deferral

  (dih-FUR-uhl)

  NOUN: The act of putting something off.

  derelict

  (DER-uh-likt)

  ADJECTIVE: Neglectful or negligent of one’s responsibilities; it can also be used as a noun in reference to such a person or to someone who has no home, job, or family.

  The DERELICT mother often forgot to buy milk for the children or put them to bed on time.

  dereliction

  (der-uh-LIK-shuhn)

  NOUN: To purposefully and knowingly neglect one’s responsibilities.

  desist

  (dih-ZIST)

  VERB: To stop or cease.

  desk-bound

  (DESK-bound)

  ADJECTIVE: Work that involves a lot of sitting or does not allow for one to leave his or her desk.

  desultory

  (DES-uhl-tawr-ee)

  ADJECTIVE: Aimless of unfocused; lacking any organization or regularity.

  Idleness is not

  doing nothing.

  Idleness is being free

  to do anything.

  —FLOYD DELL

  detachment

  (dih-TACH-muhnt)

  NOUN: Aloofness or disconnection, either physically or emotionally.

  devoid

  (dih-VOID)

  ADJECTIVE: Lacking completely; existing without.

  Her face was DEVOID of any emotion; it was difficult to know exactly what she was feeling,

  if anything.

  diddle-daddle

  (DID-l-dad-l)

  VERB: To dawdle or loiter; dilly-dally.

  dilatory

  (DIL-uh-tawr-ee)

  ADJECTIVE: Putting something off; being a procrastinator.

  dilly-dally

  (DIL-ee-dal-ee)

  VERB: To waste time or dawdle; to loiter.

  directionless

  (dih-REK-shuhn-lis)

  ADJECTIVE: Without direction or clear purpose.

  He was DIRECTIONLESS in college and never chose anything to study specifically.

  disinterested

  (dis-IN-tuh-res-tid)

  ADJECTIVE: Showing a lack of interest or concern.

  dispassionate

  (dis-PASH-uh-nit)

  ADJECTIVE: A lack of passion or emotion toward something; unbiased.

  do-nothing

  (DOO-nuhth-ing)

  NOUN: Someone who is lazy; a person who literally chooses to “do nothing.”

  dodger

  (DOJ-er)

  NOUN: One who avoids his or her responsibilities; shirker.

  dolittle

  (DOO-lit-l)

  NOUN: Literally, one who does little; do-nothing.

  doodle

  (DOOD-l)

  VERB: To take part in an inconsequential activity; to draw something in an unplanned, absent-minded manner.

  dormant

  (DAWR-muhnt)

  ADJECTIVE: Being in a state of inactivity.

  For years she was DORMANT, reclining on the couch for hours each day, rising only when necessary and quickly lying back down again.

  dozy

  (DOH-zee)

  ADJECTIVE: Sleepy or drowsy.

  dreaminess

  (DREE-mee-nis)

  NOUN: A dreamlike state or pensiveness; a perfectly pleasurable dreamlike state.

  drifter

  (DRIF-ter)

  NOUN: One who is constantly moving from place to place—home, job, etc.—without any clear path or goal.

  drone

  (drohn)

  NOUN: One who does not want to work or help in any way; a loafer. As a verb, it means to talk excessively in a very monotone, boring manner.

  droop

  (droop)

  VERB: To sag or hang down; to become disheartened.

  dropout

  (DROP-out)

  VERB: Abandoning something before completion, including an educational program or society; as a noun, it defines one who abandons something before completion.

  dross

  (draws)

  NOUN: Something that is useless or of low quality; rubbish.

  How did you spend money on such DROSS when you know it will just fall apart in a few days?

  drowse

  (drouz)

  VERB: Being midway between sleep and wakefulness.

  drowsy

  (DROU-zee)

  ADJECTIVE: Sleepy, tired; sluggish.

  E

  effete

  (ih-FEET)

  ADJECTIVE: Devoid of energy or vivacity; no longer able to produce.

  emotionless

  (ih-MOH-shuhn-lis)

  ADJECTIVE: Lacking any emotion or passion, particularly in a situation where it would be expected or called for.

  enervate

  (EN-er-vayt)

  VERB: To weaken one’s physical, psychological, or moral strength or vibrance; debilitate.

  To spend so much time resting would ENERVATE anyone, making it nearly impossible to resume a normal life.

  ennui

  (ahn-WEE)

  NOUN: From the French word for apathy or boredom, ennui is a feeling of boredom and discontent with life.

  ergophobia

  (ER-goh-foh-bee-uh)

  NOUN: Fear of work.

  Sloth is of all the passions

  the most powerful…

  —SAMUEL BECKETT

  eschew

  (es-CHOO)

  VERB: To abstain from or avoid.

  evade

  (ih-VAYD)

  VERB: To use one’s ingenuity to avoid or escape something; elude.

  He had a knack for being able to EVADE any kind of responsibility or obligation, leaving all of his spare time for himself.

  exanimate

  (eg-ZAN-uh-mit)

  ADJECTIVE: Without life or expression; lifeless.

  exhaust

  (ig-ZAWST)

  VERB: To deplete all of something; the word could refer to one’s energy level or a resource such as food.

  F

  failing

  (FAY-ling)

  NOUN: A failure or shortcoming.

  fainéant

  (FAY-nee-uhnt)

  NOUN: A French term for a lazy person or slacker. Can also be used as an adjective to describe such a person.

  fatigue

  (fuh-TEEG)

  NOUN: Extreme exhaustion, usually as a result of overexertion. As a verb it means to cause extreme exhaustion.

  feeble

  (FEE-buhl)

  ADJECTIVE: Physically or mentally weak.

  feckless

  (FEK-lis)

  ADJECTIVE: Lacking any sense of responsibility or ambition.

  Your son is so FECKLESS that he will probably never seek a job or move out of your home.

  fiddle