idle
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Old English īdel, from West Germanic *īdla-. Cognate with Dutch ijdel (“unimportant”), German eitel (“bare, worthless”).
[edit] Pronunciation
- enPR: īʹd(ə)l, IPA: /ˈaɪd(ə)l/, SAMPA: /"aId(@)l/
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Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -aɪdəl
- Homophones: idol, idyll, idyl (US pronunciation)
[edit] Adjective
idle (comparative more idle, superlative most idle)
- (obsolete) Empty, vacant.
- Not turned to appropriate use; not occupied.
- idle hours
- My computer goes idle after 30 minutes without use.
- Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing.
- idle workmen
- Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.
- an idle fellow
- Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.
- an idle story; idle talk; idle rumor
[edit] Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:lazy
[edit] Translations
not turned to appropriate use, not occupied
not engaged in any occupation or employment
averse to work or labor
of no importance, worthless, useless
[edit] Verb
idle (third-person singular simple present idles, present participle idling, simple past and past participle idled)
- (transitive) To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume.
- (intransitive) To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.
- (intransitive) Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick-over.
[edit] Translations
to spend in idleness, to waste
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to lose or spend time doing nothing
to run at a slow speed, or out of gear
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[edit] Related terms
[edit] References
- idle in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- idle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
