idle

• adj. 閑置的；懶惰的；停頓的
• vi. 無所事事；虛度；空轉
• vt. 虛度；使空轉

詞源不詳。

idle

idle: [OE] ‘Lazy’ is only a secondary meaning of idle. It originally meant ‘useless, worthless’ (as in ‘idle threats’), and the sense ‘lazy’ did not develop until the 13th century (the Old English words for ‘lazy’ were slow and slack). Idle is shared by other West Germanic languages, and its relatives (German eitel ‘vain, futile’ and Dutch ijdel ‘vain, useless, conceited’) point up its original English meaning, but it is not known what its ultimate origins are.

idle (adj.)

Old English idel "empty, void; vain; worthless, useless; not employed," common West Germanic (cognates: Old Saxon idal, Old Frisian idel "empty, worthless," Old Dutch idil, Old High German ital, German eitel "vain, useless, mere, pure"), of unknown origin. Idle threats preserves original sense; meaning "lazy" is c. 1300.

idle (v.)

late 15c., "make vain or worthless," from 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.

1. Brian kept up the idle chatter for another five minutes.

布賴恩又絮絮地嘮叨了5分鍾。

來自柯林斯例句

2. It was more of an idle threat than anything.

那其實是唬人的話。

來自柯林斯例句

3. It would be idle to pretend the system is perfect.

假裝係統完美無疵是徒勞的。

來自柯林斯例句

4. His statement isn't merely an idle boast.

他的話不僅僅是虛張聲勢的自誇。

來自柯林斯例句

5. Now the machine is lying idle.

如今機器閑置著。

來自柯林斯例句