encephalitis lethargica /-ji-kə/ noun

An acute disease marked by profound physical and mental lethargy (popularly called sleepy sickness or erroneously sleeping sickness)

sleep /slēp/

intransitive verb (pat and pap slept /slept/)

1. To take rest by surrendering consciousness
2. To slumber
3. To be motionless, inactive, or dormant
4. To appear still or restful
5. To take or have the nocturnal position, to display nyctitropism (botany)
6. To be dead (euphemistic)
7. To rest in the grave (euphemistic)
8. (of a limb) to go or be numb from pressure, etc
9. (of a top) to spin steadily without movement of the axis

transitive verb

1. To spend (time) in sleep
2. To enjoy a period of (sleep, as cognate object)
3. To outsleep
4. To provide, contain sleeping accommodation for

noun

1. The state of being asleep
2. A period of sleeping
3. Dormancy
4. Death (euphemistic)
5. Vertical disposition of leaves at night, nyctitropism (botany)
6. Mucous matter which collects at the corners of the eyes (informal)

sleepˈer noun

1. A person who sleeps
2. A horizontal beam supporting and spreading a weight, esp a support for railway rails
3. A sleeping car
4. A compartment or berth in a sleeping car
5. A sleeping tablet (informal)
6. (chiefly Brit) a small gold hoop worn in a pierced ear to prevent the hole from closing up
7. A fish of the genus Dormitator, resembling the gobies
8. An agent who spends a long time (often years) establishing himself or herself as an inoffensive citizen preparing for the moment when he or she will be required to pass on information, spy for a foreign power, etc
9. Someone or something not recognized for what it is
10. A record, film, etc which becomes popular after an initial period of not being so, or an item whose true value is not recognized and which is sold too cheaply as a result (informal)

sleepˈery or sleepˈry adjective (Scot)

Sleepy

sleepˈily adverb

sleepˈiness noun

sleepˈing noun

1. Sleep
2. Abeyance

adjective

1. In a state of, occupied with, or for, sleeping
2. Dormant

sleepˈless adjective

1. Without sleep
2. Unable to sleep

sleepˈlessly adverb

sleepˈlessness noun

sleepˈy adjective

1. Inclined to sleep, drowsy
2. Inducing or suggesting sleep
3. Characterized by quietness and lack of activity
4. Partially decayed internally, esp of a pear, soft and lacking juice

sleep apnoea see apnoea

sleeping bag noun

A quilted bag for sleeping in, used by travellers, campers, etc

sleeping berth noun

sleeping car, sleeping carrˈiage or sleeping coach noun

A railway carriage with berths for sleeping in

sleeping draught noun

A drink containing a drug to induce sleep

sleeping partner noun

A person who has money invested in a business but takes no part in its management

sleeping pill noun

One containing a sleep-inducing drug

sleeping policeman noun

A low transverse hump built into the surface of a road, intended to slow down traffic

sleeping sickness noun

1. A deadly disease of tropical Africa, characterized by headache, great drowsiness, and exhaustion, caused by a trypanosome introduced by the bite of a tsetse-fly
2. Sometimes erroneously applied to sleepy sickness

sleeˈping-suit or sleepˈsuit noun

A baby's all-in-one garment for sleeping in

sleep learning same as hypnopaedia (see under hypno-).

sleep mode noun (computing)

The facility of temporarily restricting electrical power in a computer to those parts that are needed to restore it to full operation, so that it can be left switched on when not in use

sleepˈout noun

A partitioned-off section of a veranda for use as a sleeping area (Aust and NZ; see also sleep out below)

sleepˈwalk intransitive verb

sleepˈwalker noun

A person who walks in his or her sleep, a somnambulist

sleepˈwalking noun

sleepˈyhead noun

A lazy or sleepy-looking person

sleepy hollow noun

A very quiet place (from A Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820) by Washington Irving)

sleepy sickness noun

1. Encephalitis lethargica, a feature of which is great drowsiness
2. Formerly applied to sleeping sickness

get to sleep

To manage to fall asleep

go to sleep

1. To fall asleep
2. (of a limb) to become numb through pressure or positioning that cuts off the blood supply

in one's sleep

While asleep

on sleep (Bible)

Asleep

put to sleep

1. To anaesthetize
2. To kill (an animal) painlessly (euphemistic)

sleep around (informal)

To be sexually promiscuous

sleep in

1. To oversleep, wake or get up later than intended
2. To sleep later than usual
3. To sleep at one's place of work

sleep off

To recover from (eg a hangover) by sleeping

sleep on

To consider overnight, postpone a decision on

sleep out

1. To sleep outdoors overnight (sleepˈout noun)
2. To sleep away from one's place of work

sleep over

To sleep at another person's house overnight, esp after a party (sleepˈover noun)

sleep together (euphemistic)

To have sexual relations with each other

sleep with (euphemistic)

To have sexual relations with