Idler

Idler
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. [1913 Webster]

Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt. xii. 36. [1913 Webster]

Down their idle weapons dropped. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

This idle story became important. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours. [1913 Webster]

The idle spear and shield were high uphing. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen. [1913 Webster]

Why stand ye here all the day idle? --Matt. xx. 6. [1913 Webster]

4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow. [1913 Webster]

5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford. [1913 Webster]

{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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Idler — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Heinrich von Idler (1802–1878), deutscher Politiker und Oberamtmann Salomon Idler (1610–1669), deutscher Flugpionier Siehe auch: The Idler Diese Sei …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • idler — [īd′lər, īd′ l ər] n. 1. a person who wastes time and does no work; lazy person 2. a gear placed between two others to transfer motion from one to the other without changing their direction or speed: also idler gear or wheel or idle wheel 3. a… …   English World dictionary

  • Idler — I dler, n. 1. One who idles; one who spends his time in inaction; a lazy person; a sluggard. [1913 Webster] 2. (Naut.) One who has constant day duties on board ship, and keeps no regular watch. Totten. [1913 Webster] 3. (Mach.) An idle wheel or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • idler — (n.) 1530s, agent noun from IDLE (Cf. idle) …   Etymology dictionary

  • Idler — An idler is a mechanical device such as an idler pulley or idler wheel that is secondary to the main transfer of power in a mechanical system. See also * Gear ratio * The Idler magazines and an essay collection entitled The Idler * …   Wikipedia

  • idler — [[t]a͟ɪdlə(r)[/t]] idlers N COUNT (disapproval) If you describe someone as an idler, you are criticizing them because you think they are lazy and should be working. The Duke resents being seen as a moneyed idler. Syn: loafer …   English dictionary

  • idler — UK [ˈaɪdlə(r)] / US [ˈaɪdlər] noun [countable] Word forms idler : singular idler plural idlers old fashioned someone who does not work because they are lazy …   English dictionary

  • idler — 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

  • idler — [1] A gearwheel between a driving and a driven gear in a gear train which may serve to reverse the original direction of rotation of the driven wheel. [2] A free turning pulley or wheel which serves to maintain tension in a belt drive. Also see… …   Dictionary of automotive terms

  • Idler-wheel — An idler wheel drive is a system used to transmit the rotation of the main shaft of a motor to another rotating device. For example the platter of a record reproducing turntable or the crankshaft to camshaft gear train of an automobile.An idler… …   Wikipedia

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