Martin WisckolDaniel Malloy and Katie LeslieChristian Science Monitor
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Why are uniforms called fatigues?
Fatigue is a basic part of today’s vocabulary, but, surprisingly, only dates back to the mid-17th century in English. It’s not used even a single time by Shakespeare or in the King James Bible. It came to English from French and ultimately derives from the Latin verb fatigare, meaning “to tire out” or “to exhaust.” An earlier direct borrowing into English from Latin, fatigate, was used in the 1500s before disappearing (it’s now labeled obsolete in our dictionaries). Fatigue entered English first as a noun, then the verb (“the work fatigues me”) and adjective (“a fatigue detail”) came along. The noun was used to mean both “the state of being tired” and “labor,” “effort,” or “trouble”—a sense that seems old-fashioned today. Early uses of fatigue meaning “effort” or “labor” often were in military contexts:
the fatigue of our long march
the fatigues of war
the fatigues of a long journey
they no longer have fatigue without pay
toil and fatigue
These senses led to two military-specific uses of fatigue. First, it came to mean “manual or menial work performed by military personnel,” and then, consequently, “the uniform or work clothing worn on fatigue detail and in the field.” This is how fatigues came to mean “uniform” in the military. When your job seems to be all work and no play, even your clothes are tired.
Synonyms
Examples of fatigue in a Sentence
Rachel Chason, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Like the Kindle and other e-readers, the Palma is supposed to approximate the look of the physical page and cut down on eye fatigue.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Rosenberg said the arthritis has affected Sophie’s bones and kidneys, which leads her to fatigue quickly.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
People with long COVID experience fatigue, brain fog and shortness of breath, as well as varying degrees of disability, immune dysregulation, and organ and tissue damage.
—Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, and body aches.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Amid an epidemic of loneliness, speed dating is making a comeback, especially, experts say, among Gen Z and millennials who are experiencing dating app fatigue.
—USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
And if your symptoms are causing fatigue by keeping you up at night, the drowsiness from the medications might work in your favor.
—Hannah Seo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Some parents want to shield really young kids from the news, which could be possible if the cancer treatments won't lead to noticeable changes – hair loss or fatigue or prolonged hospitalizations, for example.
—Marc Silver, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024
Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
That decades-long struggle, with not much to show for its efforts, has left people fatigued and apathetic, especially as new water quality concerns like PFAS continue to emerge.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Target said last week that its sales fell last year for the first time since 2016, predicting a slow 2024 as consumers become fatigued by higher prices.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
The church, which is about a 5-minute drive from the Mexican border, also served as a crucial support system for people who crossed into the United States, often fatigued, overwhelmed and with little to no belongings.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 24 Mar. 2024
The overly eager go-getters fatigued earlier than previously, as their heart rates accelerated at lower workloads than before their illness.
—Melanie Radzicki McManus, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
We are all fatigued by the barrage of content about generative AI (GenAI), but don’t let cybercriminals use this to their advantage.
—Atul Tulshibagwale, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
The interesting thing about Juno is that there was a backlash against that film for a very typical reason, which is that whenever something becomes very successful and everyone is quoting it, people get fatigued.
—Keaton Bell, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2024
After recovering from the convulsions and loss of consciousness, the person is usually fatigued and confused for several minutes to several hours.
—Jacob Pellinen, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2024
Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2023
Take this option, which has a shock-diffusing plate and an anti-fatigue footbed to provide hours-long comfort.
—Ebenezer Samuel, Men's Health, 13 Jan. 2023
While many anti-fatigue mats come in more subdued color palettes, The House of Noa shows us a different path.
—Good Housekeeping, 13 Jan. 2023
What makes this chair even more supportive is the addition of the anti-fatigue mat that’s attached.
—Kylee McGuigan, Popular Mechanics, 12 Jan. 2023
As with the other fungi on this list, the polysaccharides within I. obliquus may offer a range of helpful properties, including antitumor, anti-fatigue, antioxidant, antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects.
—Molly Glick, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2022
This anti-fatigue eye treatment from Tom Ford is top quality and looks sleek in its functional packaging.
—Grooming Playbook, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Oct. 2022
An anti-fatigue mat provides a soft surface to stand on while working at a standing desk.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fatigue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun, Verb, and Adjective
French, from Middle French, from fatiguer to fatigue, from Latin fatigare; akin to Latin affatim sufficiently
Noun
1669, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1693, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing fatigue
Dictionary Entries Near fatigue
Cite this Entry
“Fatigue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatigue. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
fatigue
1 of 2 noun
fatigue
2 of 2 verb
Medical Definition
fatigue
1 of 2 noun
fatigue
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on fatigue
Nglish: Translation of fatigue for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of fatigue for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fatigue
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