Idle
Idle , adjective
[Old English idel, Anglo-Saxon īdel vain, empty, useless; akin to Old Saxon īdal, Dutch ijdel, Old High German ītal vain, empty, mere, German eitel, Danish & Swedish idel mere, pure, and prob. to Greek {not transcribed} clear, pure, {not transcribed} to burn. Compare Ether.]
1.
Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren.
Deserts idle.
Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Down their idle weapons dropped.
This idle story became important.
2.
Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours.
The idle spear and shield were high uphing.
3.
Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen.
Why stand ye here all the day idle?
4.
Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow.
5.
Light-headed; foolish. [Obsolete] — Ford
Collocations (3)
Idle pulley (Machinery) , 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 (Machinery) , 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. [Obsolete] God saith, thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in idle.
Idle , intransitive verb
To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business. — Shakespeare
Idle , transitive verb
To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.