French Conversation · Level 189
15 words
French word
languir
Pronunciation
IPA/lɑ̃giʁ/
Meaning
- verblong for
Example
Elle languit de son pays.
She longs for her country.
More examples
Je languis de revoir ma famille.
I long to see my family again.
Core concept
A long-held pull toward something absent, with the feeling of fading while waiting.
Similar words
manquer: To feel lonely because someone or something is absent.
regretter: To miss what was lost or what has passed.
désirer: To strongly desire a person or thing.
vouloir: To strongly wish to obtain something.
Definition in French
Manifester une nostalgie ou un désir prolongé pour une personne, un lieu ou une chose absente, souvent construit avec « de ».
Word origin
Languir inherited the Latin root languēre, to grow weak, and later acquired its French sense of continuing to yearn for what is absent.
Usage tips
- In modern French, languir often sounds literary or formal, while manquer à and avoir envie de are more common in everyday speech.
Other meanings
- languishverb
Opposites
- oublierforgetverb
- se désintéresserlose interestverb
Related words
- langueurlanguornoun