In the doldrums: Phrase origin lesson of the day

Where exactly did the phrase "In the doldrums" come from? I ask this because, well, I'm in the blog doldrums as it were. I haven't posted in a few days and I'm not sure what to write about. Oh sure, I could post some latest news article or talk more about the still-far-away election, but those are boring topics to me. But word origins are always interesting, at least to a linguistics nerd like me.

Haven't ever heard of the phrase or know what it means? Well, prepare to be educated! Being "in the doldrums" refers to someone who is depressed or in low spirits. And according to phrases.org.uk (Yaay British for knowing the meaning of seldom-used phrases), being "in the doldrums" came about in the early 19th century. "Doldrum" used to mean someone who was dull or slow, (slow as in slothful, not slow as in stupid) and it's most likely that "doldrum" originated from "dol," which means dull. Contrary to popular belief (including mine), the phrase did not originate from the region of listless winds that was often the woe of ships trying to get to destinations in a timely manner. Apparently, the region was named after the phrase. "The Doldrums" wasn't named until the mid-19th century.

Good stuff, right? And while I meant my context of being in the blog doldrums to be one of feeling listless rather than depressed, I can now say I have learned something about A, the proper use of the phrase and B, where it came from. And now you can too. Now go find someone else to educate!