different between idle vs inert

English

Etymology

From Middle English idel, ydel, from Old English ?del, from Proto-Germanic *?dalaz. Cognate with Dutch ijdel (“vain, meaningless”), German Low German iedel (“vain, idle”), German eitel (“vain, conceited”), and possibly Old Norse illr ("bad"; > English ill).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ??d(?)l, IPA^(key): /?a?d(?)l/
• Rhymes: -a?d?l
• Homophones: idol, idyll, idyl (US pronunciation)

Adjective

idle (comparative more idle, superlative most idle)

1. (obsolete) Empty, vacant.
2. Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
3. Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.
4. Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.

   • “I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, the worn-out, passionless men, the enervated matrons of the summer capital, […]!”

5. Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.

6. (obsolete) Light-headed; foolish.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ford to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (of no importance): pointless
• See also Thesaurus:lazy

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

idle (third-person singular simple present idles, present participle idling, simple past and past participle idled)

1. (transitive) To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume.
2. (intransitive) To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.

   to idle in an IRC channel

   • 1939, Joan Evans, Chateaubriand (page 32)

     He had already heard of the young man's projected journey — evidently the Comte de Combourg had written many letters while his son idled at St. Malo […]

3. (intransitive) Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.

Derived terms

• idler

Related terms

• (sense 3) idling speed

Translations

Noun

idle (plural idles)

1. The state of idling, of being idle.
2. (gaming) An idle animation.
3. (gaming) An idle game.

   Synonyms: idle game, incremental game

References

• idle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• idle in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• idle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• Diel, deli, diel, eild, lied

English

Etymology

From French inerte, from Latin iners (“inactive, inert”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?n??t/
• Rhymes: -??(?)t

Adjective

inert (comparative more inert, superlative most inert)

1. Unable to move or act; inanimate.
2. In chemistry, not readily reacting with other elements or compounds.
3. Having no therapeutic action.

Synonyms

• (unable to move or act): dormant, motionless; see also Thesaurus:inactive or Thesaurus:stationary
• (not readily reacting): unreactive

Derived terms

• inert gas
• inertly

Translations

See also

• inertia

Noun

inert (plural inerts)

1. (chemistry) A substance that does not react chemically.

Verb

inert (third-person singular simple present inerts, present participle inerting, simple past and past participle inerted)

1. To fill with an inert gas to reduce the risk of explosion.

Anagrams

• -retin, -retin-, Inter, Terni, Tiner, inter, inter-, niter, nitre, riten., terin, trine

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin iners.

Adjective

inert (feminine inerta, masculine plural inerts, feminine plural inertes)

1. inert

Derived terms

• gas inert
• inertament

Related terms

• inèrcia

Further reading

• “inert” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “inert” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “inert” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “inert” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

inert (comparative inerter, superlative am inertesten)

1. inert

Declension

Further reading

• “inert” in Duden online

Romanian

Etymology

From French inerte, from Latin iners.

Adjective

inert m or n (feminine singular inert?, masculine plural iner?i, feminine and neuter plural inerte)

1. inert

Declension