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

idle \i"dle\, a. compar. idler; superl. idlest. oe. idel,
   as. imacdel vain, empty, useless; akin to os. imacdal, d.
   ijdel, ohg. imactal 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
see also:
idler idlest ether idle pulley idle wheel in idle 
idle indolent lazy busy 

Idle >> I Words
Idle, definition of term: Idle
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