
[French, from Old French enui, from ennuyer, to annoy, bore. See annoy.]
WORD HISTORY Were they alive today, users of Classical Latin might be surprised to find that centuries later a phrase of theirs still survives, although as a single word. The phrase mihi in odiō est (literally translated as "to me in a condition of dislike or hatred is"), meaning "I hate or dislike," gave rise to the Vulgar Latin verb *inodiāre, "to make odious," the source of the Old French verb ennuyer or anoier, "to annoy, bore." This was borrowed into English by around 1275 as anoien, our annoy. From the Old French verb a noun meaning "worry, boredom" was derived, which became ennui in modern French. This noun, with the sense "boredom," was borrowed into English in the 18th century, perhaps filling a need in polite, cultivated society.
Definition: boredom
Antonyms: energy, enthusiasm, excitement, liveliness, vigor
Ennui descended on the participants of the conference when the main speaker did not appear for an hour.
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kedsomhed, livslede
Nederlands (Dutch)
lusteloosheid, verveling
Français (French)
n. - langueur
Deutsch (German)
n. - Lustlosigkeit, Langeweile
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ανία, πλήξη
Português (Portuguese)
n. - tédio (m)
Русский (Russian)
скука, тоска
Español (Spanish)
n. - languidez, aburrimiento
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - leda, ledsnad
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
倦怠, 厌倦
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 倦怠, 厭倦
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) ضجر, ملل
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - שעמום, עייפות נפשית