Where does “idle” come from?

Idle comes from Middle English idel, from Old English īdel, from Proto-Germanic īdalaz, from Proto-Indo-European ih₁tlo-, of uncertain ultimate meaning.

idle (English): Empty, vacant; Not being used appropriately; not...

Definitions

  1. Empty, vacant; Not being used appropriately; not...

Ancestry of “idle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishidel—
2Old Englishīdelempty, void; bereft
3Proto-West Germanic*īdlvoid, empty, ineffective

Words derived from “idle”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic *īdl →Every word from Old English īdel →Every word from Middle English idel →