Idlest

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Idle \I"dle\, a. [Compar. {Idler}; superl. {Idlest}.] [OE. idel,
     AS. [imac]del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. [imac]dal, D.
     ijdel, OHG. [imac]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.
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              Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
              give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt.
                                                    xii. 36.
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              Down their idle weapons dropped.      --Milton.
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              This idle story became important.     --Macaulay.
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     2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate
        use; unemployed; as, idle hours.
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              The idle spear and shield were high uphing.
                                                    --Milton.
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     3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing
        nothing; as, idle workmen.
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              Why stand ye here all the day idle?   --Matt. xx. 6.
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     4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy;
        slothful; as, an idle fellow.
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     5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford.
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     {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.
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