doldrums

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   plural, usually the doldrums: a state of low spirits, boredom, or lack of energy

   A visit from her oldest friend lifted her out of the doldrums.

2. 2
   noun

   plural, usually the doldrums: a period of little activity, growth, or progress

   New orders helped the factory emerge from the economic doldrums.

3. 3
   noun

   nautical, plural: conditions in which calm or unreliable winds prevent a sailing ship from making progress

   The crew spent three days in the doldrums waiting for a usable breeze.

4. 4
   noun

   nautical, plural: the region near the equator where winds are often light or variable and sudden squalls can occur

   The yacht crossed the doldrums before reaching the steadier trade winds.

Simplified etymology

Doldrums was originally the singular doldrum, a late 18th-century term for a dull, sluggish, or stupid person, perhaps formed from dull. It later came to denote both a state of stagnation or depression and an equatorial Atlantic region known for calms and unpredictable winds.

From obsolete doldrum (a sluggish or dull person) with plural -s. Doldrum may be connected with dull and modeled on tantrum; the derivation is uncertain.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary