lethargy (1), letharge

[Fr. léthargie, from Lat. lethargia, from Gr. lethargia =drowsine , from lethargos =forgetful, from lethe oblivion; Sp. & Ital. letargia.] I. Ordinary Language : 1. Morbid drowsine ; unnatural sleepine ; a long and profound sleep, from which one can hardly be aroused. "Here Lethargy , with deadly sleep oppre ed, Stretched on his back a mighty lubbard, lay." Thomson: Castle of Indolence, i. 14. 2. A state of dullne , inactivity, or inaction. "But then the spirit, roused by honest shame, Shook off that lethargy , and soared to fame. Church ill: Epistle to William Hogarth. II. Technically : 1. Path . or Phys . The same as I. 1. 2. Bot . A state of plants in which their buds, grafts, and seeds are sluggish in development. In the case of buds, close pruning will sometimes aid them, and in that of seeds hot water or weak acid. *lěth-ar-ģỹ (2), s. [LITHARGE.] leth-ar-ģỹ, v. t. [LETHARGY (2), s.] To render lethargic. Lê thê (1), 8. [Lat., from Gr. lēthē =(1) the river Lethe, (2) forgetfulne .] 1. Lit. & Greek Myth .: One of the rivers of hell, the waters of which po e ed the property of producing forgetfulne of all the past in those who drank them. " Lethe , the river of oblivion, rolls Her wat'ry labyrinth, which whoso drinks Forgets both joy and grief." Milton: P. L., ii. 583. 2508 2. Fig .: Forgetfulne , oblivion. "The cup must hold a deadlier draught, That brings a Lethe for despair." Byron: In the Haunts of Men.