doldrums

doldrums
/dohl"dreuhmz, dol"-, dawl"-/, n. (used with a pl. v.)
1. a state of inactivity or stagnation, as in business or art: August is a time of doldrums for many enterprises.
2. the doldrums,
a. a belt of calms and light baffling winds north of the equator between the northern and southern trade winds in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
b. the weather prevailing in this area.
3. a dull, listless, depressed mood; low spirits.
[1795-1805; obs. dold stupid (see DOLT) + -rum(s) (pl.) n. suffix (see TANTRUM)]
Syn. 3. depression, gloom, melancholy, dejection.

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▪ air current
      equatorial regions of light ocean currents and winds within the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a belt of converging winds and rising air encircling the Earth near the Equator. The northeast and southeast trade winds meet there; this meeting causes air uplift and often produces clusters of convective thunderstorms. They occur along the Equator in the Indian and western Pacific oceans and slightly north of the Equator off the African and Central American west coasts. The crews of sailing ships dreaded the doldrums because their ships were often becalmed there; the designation for the resultant state of depression was apparently thus extended to these geographic regions themselves.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • doldrums — dol‧drums [ˈdɒldrəmz ǁ ˈdoʊl , ˈdɑːl , ˈdɒːl ] noun [plural] informal if an industry or market is in the doldrums, there is very little increase in prices or very little trade taking place: • The mortgage market has been in the doldrums for three …   Financial and business terms

  • doldrums — If a person is in the doldrums, they are depressed. If a project or something similar is in the doldrums, it isn t making any progress …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • doldrums — dol drums (d[o^]l dr[u^]mz), n. pl. [Cf. Gael. doltrum grief, vexation?] A part of the ocean near the equator, abounding in calms, squalls, and light, baffling winds, which sometimes prevent all progress for weeks; so called by sailors. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • doldrums — ● doldrums nom masculin pluriel (anglais doldrums, calme équatorial) Zone des basses pressions équatoriales, région de calme atmosphérique séparant les alizés des deux hémisphères …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • doldrums — ► PLURAL NOUN (the doldrums) 1) a state of stagnation or depression. 2) a region of the Atlantic Ocean with calms, sudden storms, and light unpredictable winds. ORIGIN perhaps from DULL(Cf. ↑dulness) …   English terms dictionary

  • Doldrums — (engl., spr. dólldröms), s. Kalmen …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • doldrums — 1811, from dulled, pp. of dullen, from O.E. dol foolish, dull, ending perhaps patterned on tantrum …   Etymology dictionary

  • doldrums — boredom, ennui, *tedium Analogous words: dejection, depression, gloom, blues, dumps (see SADNESS) Antonyms: spirits, high spirits …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • doldrums — [n] depression apathy, black mood*, blahs*, blue funk*, blues*, boredom, bummer*, dejection, disinterest, dismals, downer, dullness, dumps*, ennui, funk*, gloom, inactivity, indifference, inertia, lassitude, letdown, listlessness, malaise, mopes* …   New thesaurus

  • doldrums — [dōl′drəmz, däl′drəmz] pl.n. [< ? ME dul (see DULL), after TANTRUM] 1. a) low spirits; dull, gloomy, listless feeling b) sluggishness or complete inactivity; stagnation 2. a) equatorial ocean regions note …   English World dictionary

  • doldrums — dol|drums [ˈdɔldrəmz US ˈdoul , ˈda:l , ˈdo:l ] n [plural] informal [Date: 1700 1800; Origin: Perhaps from dold stupid (1400 1500)] a) if an industry, company, activity etc is in the doldrums, it is not doing well or developing in the doldrums ▪… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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