Where does “idleful” come from?

idleful (English) comes from English idle, from Middle English idel, from Old English īdel, from Proto-West Germanic *īdl — void, empty, ineffective.

idleful (English): idle

Definitions

  1. idle

Ancestry of “idleful”, step by step

idleful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English idle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishidleEmpty, vacant; Not being used appropriately; not...
2Middle Englishidel—
3Old Englishīdelempty, void; bereft
4Proto-West Germanic*īdlvoid, empty, ineffective

via English ful

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishful—
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *īdl →Every word from Old English īdel →Every word from Middle English idel →