In literature, “torpid” frequently conveys a state of inactivity or sluggishness that may pertain to both the physical and metaphorical. Writers use the term to depict everything from an unmoving lump of clay to the sluggish pace of a culture, suggesting a lack of energy or responsiveness ([1], [2]). It is employed to evoke images of stifling atmospheres—such as the drowsy stillness of a summer afternoon ([3])—or to describe characters overwhelmed by despair and inertia ([4]). Even when referring to bodily functions or mental conditions, as when a liver grows torpid or one's senses awaken after a period of dormancy, the word enriches the text with a layered sense of lethargy that contrasts with moments of sudden activity or awakening.