Impaired or difficult functioning or capacity for work; a loss of ability to perform normal activities or labor.
From Greek dys- (bad, abnormal) + ergasia (from ergon, work). The term describes any difficulty in performing work or functioning normally, whether from physical disability, mental illness, or exhaustion.
This clinical word was used to describe what we'd now call depression or burnout—people who just couldn't work anymore. It reminds us that recognizing something as an illness, not laziness, was a major medical breakthrough.
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