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Is there a single adjective to describe a person who can sit for a long time doing homework, reading or working?

For example, "Jane is so ... . She can sit at her desk for hours without getting tired of sitting."

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    "Jane is so focused..." – user3169 Mar 2 '18 at 6:49
  • Does it really need to be an adjective, or would you also accept something like, "Jane has ..."? – Tsundoku Jun 4 '19 at 16:11
  • @ChristopheStrobbe it doesn't necessarily have to be an adjective – Enguroo Jun 4 '19 at 23:16
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As an alternative to "assiduous" (and to adjectives in general for the intended meaning), I would suggest the phrase "(to) have sitzfleisch". The term Sitzfleisch comes from German and literally means "sitting flesh" or "flesh to sit on". In addition to its literal meaning (the posterior), it refers to the ability to remain seated for a long time, especially the ability to finish a long task that is to be completed while you remain seated. (See also sitzfleisch in the English Wiktionary and in the German Wiktionary.)

The article "Sitzfleisch: The German concept to get more work done" on BBC Capital writes:

When someone says you have sitzfleisch, it’s usually a professional compliment: it means they believe you’re capable of focusing long enough to complete a tough project or finish whatever work needs to be done. If you don’t have sitzfleisch, however, that is a particularly evocative way of suggesting you might be flighty or unable to concentrate on one thing at a time.

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    Great phrase! Thank you! Danke schön! – Enguroo Jun 5 '19 at 9:06
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I'm probably not going to hit the nail on the head with this one, but the adjective assiduous sounds like something that's not exactly, but very, very close to what you're looking for:

assiduous

adjective

  1. constant; unremitting:

    assiduous reading.

  2. constant in application or effort; working diligently at a task; persevering; industrious; attentive:

    an assiduous student.

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    I think it's worth noting that this is a pretty obscure word -- I'm a native English-speaking humanities major and I would have to look this up if I encountered it without a clear enough context. – Sparksbet Mar 2 '18 at 4:32
  • @Sparksbet Thank you for your comment. I believe you. I myself learned about its existence a couple of days ago. The word is obviously not in everyday use, but the OP didn't say anything about how common the word they're looking for should be. – Michael Rybkin Mar 2 '18 at 4:37
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    True -- I don't really know any more common word that has the meaning they're looking for. – Sparksbet Mar 2 '18 at 4:38
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    diligent (mentioned in this definition) is also a good one. – Mixolydian Jun 4 '19 at 22:44

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