adormecido

Adormecido is an adjective used in Spanish and Portuguese to describe a state of sleepiness or numbness. In Spanish, it can refer to 1) someone who is sleepy or drowsy, 2) a limb or area that has lost sensation or feels tingling after being compressed or inactive, and 3) figuratively, a person, place, or thing that is dormant or inactive. In Brazilian Portuguese, adormecido similarly covers somnolence and numbness and is used in both physical and metaphorical senses.

Etymology and usage notes: Adormecido comes from the verb adormecer, formed with the prefix a- and the root dormir (to sleep), from Latin adormescere meaning to become sleepy or to numb. The noun adormecimiento in Spanish and adormecimento in Portuguese denotes the sensation of numbness or the act of becoming sleepy, while adormecer (to lull to sleep, to numb) is the related verb.

Common contexts: In everyday Spanish, one might say “Mi brazo está adormecido” to describe numbness, or “Me siento adormecido” to express drowsiness. The phrase “la pierna se me quedó adormecida” is typical after sitting for a long time. In medical or clinical contexts, adormecer can indicate the effect of local anesthesia or sedative states, for example, “el área quedó adormecida tras la inyección.” In literature or speech, adormecido may describe a dormant or inactive condition, such as “una ciudad adormecida.”

See also: adormecer, adormecimiento, somnolencia, entumecimiento, dormido, somnolento.