Where does “idling” come from?

Idling derives from English idle, from Middle English idel, from Old English īdel, from Proto-Germanic īdalaz, from Proto-Indo-European ih₁tlo-.

idling (English): present participle of idle; An idle period;...

Definitions

  1. present participle of idle; An idle period;...

Ancestry of “idling”, step by step

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

Words derived from “idling”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic *īdl →Every word from Old English īdel →Every word from Middle English idel →
idling — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer