Hypertext Webster Gateway: "idle"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Idle \I"dle\, a. [Compar. {Idler}; superl. {Idlest}.] [OE. idel,
AS. [=i]del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. [=i]dal, D.
ijdel, OHG. [=i]tal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw.
idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. ? clear, pure, ? to burn.
Cf. {Ether}.]
1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable;
thoughtless; silly; barren. ``Deserts idle.'' --Shak.

Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt.
xii. 36.

Down their idle weapons dropped. --Milton.

This idle story became important. --Macaulay.

2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate
use; unemployed; as, idle hours.

The idle spear and shield were high uphing.
--Milton.

3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing
nothing; as, idle workmen.

Why stand ye here all the day idle? --Matt. xx. 6.

4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy;
slothful; as, an idle fellow.

5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford.

{Idle pulley} (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to
tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not
used to transmit power.

{Idle wheel} (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others,
to transfer motion from one to the other without changing
the direction of revolution.

{In idle}, in vain. [Obs.] ``God saith, thou shalt not take
the name of thy Lord God in idle.'' --Chaucer.

Syn: Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent;
sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile;
frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant.

Usage: {Idle}, {Indolent}, {Lazy}. A propensity to inaction
is expressed by each of these words; they differ in
the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent
denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of
movement or effort; idle is opposed to {busy}, and
denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a
stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Idle \I"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Idled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Idling}.]
To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed
in business. --Shak.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Idle \I"dle\, v. t.
To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed
by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

idle
adj 1: not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle
drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind" [ant: {busy}]
2: without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the
allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded
suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy" [syn: {baseless}, {groundless},
{unfounded}, {unwarranted}]
3: not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the
strike"; "idle hands" [syn: {unused}]
4: silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light
idle chatter" [syn: {light}]
5: lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk";
"a loose tongue" [syn: {loose}]
6: not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds" [syn: {dead}]
7: not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients";
"many people in the area were out of work" [syn: {jobless},
{out of work}]
v 1: run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling" [ant: {run}]
2: be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat
and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all
morning" [syn: {laze}, {slug}, {stagnate}] [ant: {work}]


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