torpor - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

tor·por

Audio Help [tawr-per] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	sluggish inactivity or inertia.

2.	lethargic indifference; apathy.

3.	a state of suspended physical powers and activities.

4.	dormancy, as of a hibernating animal.

[Origin: 1600–10; < L: numbness, equiv. to torp(ére) to be stiff or numb + -or -or¹

]

—Synonyms 2. stolidity, listlessness, lethargy. 4. sleepiness, slumber, drowsiness.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
torpor

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

tor·por Audio Help (tôr'pər) Pronunciation Key
n.

A state of mental or physical inactivity or insensibility.
Lethargy; apathy. See Synonyms at lethargy.
The dormant, inactive state of a hibernating or estivating animal.

[Latin, from torpēre, to be stiff; see ster-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

tor'po·rif'ic (-pə-rĭf'ĭk) adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
torpor

1607, from L. torpor "numbness," from torpere "be numb," from PIE base *ster- "stiff" (cf. O.C.S. trupeti, Lith. tirpstu "to become rigid;" Gk. stereos "solid;" O.E. steorfan "to die;" see sterile).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

torpor
noun
1.	a state of motor and mental inactivity with a partial suspension of sensibility; "he fell into a deep torpor"
2.	inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy [syn: listlessness]

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

torpor tor·por (tôr'pər)
n.

A state of mental or physical inactivity or insensibility.
Lethargy; apathy.

tor'po·rif'ic (-pə-rĭf'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: tor·por
Pronunciation: 'tor-p&r
Function: noun
: a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility : extreme sluggishness or stagnation of function

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Torpor

Tor"por\, n. [L., from torpere, to be torpid.]

1. Loss of motion, or of the motion; a state of inactivity with partial or total insensibility; numbness.

2. Dullness; sluggishness; inactivity; as, a torpor of the mental faculties.

On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

torpor

torpor: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary

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