indolent

Where does the word "indolent" come from? It comes from Late Latin indolens, and was adopted directly into English (1660s).

Indolent’s story begins in Late Latin: indolens meant “painless.” 'in-', not, plus 'dolere', to suffer pain. It reached English by 1660s as indolent. The sense 'lazy', avoiding effort as if it were pain, dates from the 1700s. Today, indolent means lazy.

1. Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient indolens "painless", 'in-', not, plus 'dolere', to suffer pain.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1660s indolent "painless", the sense 'lazy', avoiding effort as if it were pain, dates from the 1700s.