furlough

WOTD – 23 March 2009    

English

Etymology

From Dutch verlof, cognate with Danish forlov (“furlough”) (loaned from Middle Low German), German Verlaub (“permission”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈfɜː(ɹ).ləʊ/, X-SAMPA: /"f3:(r).l@u/
• (US) IPA: /ˈfɝ.loʊ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)ləʊ

Noun

Wikipedia furlough (plural furloughs)

1. A leave of absence or vacation.
   1. (US) especially one granted to a member of the armed forces, or to a prisoner.
   2. (UK) especially one granted to a missionary.
2. The documents authorizing such leave.
3. (US) A period of unpaid time off, used by an employer to reduce costs.
   • 2008 November 7, Jon Ortiz, “State workers rip Schwarzenegger's job furlough plan”, The Sacramento Bee:

     The state estimates the one-day-a-month furlough spread over the 18 months of the plan would amount to a 5 percent cut in pay.

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.

Translations

leave of absence

• Czech: dovolenka (cs) f (army)
• Dutch: verlof (nl) n
• Finnish: loma (fi)
• German: Urlaub (de) m
• Polish: urlop (pl) m

• Portuguese: licença sem vencimento (pt) f
• Russian: отпуск (ru) (ótpusk) m, увольнение (ru) (uvol’nénije) n
• Scottish Gaelic: fòrladh (gd) m
• Spanish: sabático (es) m

documents authorizing leave of absence

• Czech: propustka (cs) f
• Finnish: lomalupa (fi)

• Russian: увольнительная (ru) (uvol’nítel’naja) f
• Scottish Gaelic: fòrladh (gd) m

period of unpaid time off used by an employer to reduce costs

• Czech: nucená dovolená (cs) f
• Serbo-Croatian: neplaćeni dopust (sh), prisilni odmor (sh)

• Spanish: auciencia no pagada (es) f, sabático obligatorio no pagado (es) m

Verb

furlough (third-person singular simple present furloughs, present participle furloughing, simple past and past participle furloughed)

1. (transitive) To grant a furlough to (someone).

Translations

to grant a furlough

• Finnish: myöntää (fi) loma (fi)