werkeloos

Dutch

Etymology

From werk +‎ -e- +‎ -loos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɛr.kəˌloːs/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: wer‧ke‧loos

Alternative forms

• werkloos

Etymology

From werk +‎ -loos.

Adjective

werkeloos (not comparable)

1. having nothing to do, doing nothing; idle

   werkeloos toezien — to watch idly (doing nothing to help)

2. unemployed
   • 1770 August 6, “Groot - Brittanien”, Leydse Maandagſche Courant No. 94, page 1:

     Veele Scheeps - Timmerlieden , die werkeloos waren , zyn bereids in dienſt genoomen , ...

     Many ship carpenters who were unemployed have already been taken into service, ...

Usage notes

In recent years, some writers have started to make a distinction between the alternative forms werkloos and werkeloos, reserving the former for the sense “unemployed” and the latter for the sense “idle”. This distinction has no historical basis.

Inflection

Declension of werkeloos
uninflected	werkeloos
inflected	werkeloze
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		werkeloos
indefinite	m./f. sing.	werkeloze
	n. sing.	werkeloos
	plural	werkeloze
definite		werkeloze
partitive		werkeloos

Derived terms

• werkeloze (“idle person”)
• werkeloosheid (“idleness”)