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
- present participle of idle; An idle period;...
Ancestry of “idling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | idle | Empty, vacant; Not being used appropriately; not... |
| 2 | Middle English | idel | — |
| 3 | Old English | īdel | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *īdl | — |
Words derived from “idling”