Laggard is an adjective that means the tendency to lag behind. It’s also a noun that refers to someone one lags behind.

The exact origin of our word of the day is unclear, but we know the word ‘lag’ entered the English language somewhere around the early 16th century. To lag means to fall behind in movement or progress, so as a noun, a laggard is someone who is in the habit of falling behind. As an adjective it describes this act. Here’s an example of it as a noun:

It often takes forever to walk through the mall with Andy because he can be such a laggard. Waiting for him to catch up to us can take hours.