idle

idle
{{11}}idle (adj.) O.E. idel "empty, void; vain; worthless, useless; not employed," common West Germanic (Cf. O.S. idal, O.Fris. idel "empty, worthless," O.Du. idil, O.H.G. ital, Ger. eitel "vain, useless, mere, pure"), of unknown origin. Idle threats preserves original sense; meaning "lazy" is c.1300.
{{12}}idle (v.) late 15c., "make vain or worthless," from IDLE (Cf. idle) (adj.). Meaning "spend or waste (time)" is from 1650s. Meaning "cause to be idle" is from 1789. Sense of "running slowly and steadily without transmitting power" (as a motor) first recorded 1916. Related: Idled; idling.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • IDLE —  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Eric Idle.  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • 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.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • idle — [īd′ l] adj. idler, idlest [ME idel < OE, empty, akin to Ger eitel, vain, empty < ? IE base * ai dh, to burn, shine: basic sense, either “only apparent, seeming” or “burned out”] 1. a) having no value, use, or significance; worthless;… …   English World dictionary

  • IDLE — в Windows Тип Интегрированная среда разработки Операционная система …   Википедия

  • Idle — [ aɪdl] (engl. „untätig“, „unausgenutzt“) bezeichnet in der Informatik den Umstand, dass ein Prozess untätig ist oder eine Ressource ungenutzt bleibt. Zum einen ist Idling unerwünscht, da brach liegende Kapazitäten die Effizienz des Systems… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • idle — adj 1 *vain, nugatory, otiose, empty, hollow Analogous words: fruitless, bootless, *futile, vain: *ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious: trivial, paltry, *petty, trifling Contrasted words: significant, pregnant, meaningful (see …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • IDLE — steht für: International Date Line East, eine der Zonenzeiten der Zeitzone UTC+12 Idle, Bestandteil von Informatik Fachbegriffen (z.B. Idle Task für Leerlaufprozess) Integrated DeveLopment Environment, Entwicklungsumgebung für die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • idle — idle·hood; idle·man; idle·ness; idle; …   English syllables

  • idle — [adj1] not used; out of action abandoned, asleep, barren, closed down, dead, deserted, down, dusty, empty, gathering dust*, inactive, inert, jobless, laid off, leisured, mothballed, motionless, on the bench*, on the shelf*, out of operation, out… …   New thesaurus

  • 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. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • idle — ► ADJECTIVE (idler, idlest) 1) avoiding work; lazy. 2) not working or in use. 3) having no purpose or basis: idle threats. ► VERB 1) spend time doing nothing. 2) (of an engine) run slowly w …   English terms dictionary

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