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
- Empty, vacant; Not being used appropriately; not...
Ancestry of “idle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | idel | — |
| 2 | Old English | īdel | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *īdl | — |
Words derived from “idle”