idle
UK: /ˈaɪd(ə)l/ | US: /ˈaɪd(ə)l/
adj. not working or active; unemployed or inactive
adj. lacking purpose or substance; frivolous
vi. to spend time doing nothing; to be inactive
The word "idle" traces back to Old English īdel, meaning "empty, vain, worthless," from Proto-Germanic īdalaz. It originally described physical emptiness (e.g., an unused tool) before evolving to denote inactivity or lack of purpose. The Germanic root shares ties with Old High German ītal ("empty") and Old Norse idhull ("barren"), reflecting a shared concept of unproductiveness. Over time, "idle" expanded metaphorically to describe both physical inactivity (e.g., an idle machine) and human behavior (e.g., idle chatter).
The factory machines stood idle during the strike.
She grew tired of his idle promises.
He spent the afternoon idling by the river.
Avoid idle gossip in the workplace.
The computer goes idle after 10 minutes of inactivity.