ydel

Middle English

Alternative forms

• idel, idil, idill, idul, idyl, idyll, ydell, ydil, ydill, ydul, ydull

Etymology

From Old English īdel, from Proto-West Germanic *īdal, from Proto-Germanic *īdalaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiːdəl/

Adjective

ydel (plural and weak singular ydele)

1. vain, worthless, pointless
   • c. 1368, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Book of the Duchess, as recorded c. 1440–1450 in Bodleian Library MS. Fairfax 16, folio 130r:

     I have so many an ydel thoght / Purely for defaulte of slepe / That by my trouthe I take no kepe / Of noo thinge how hyt cometh or gooth / Ne me nys no thynge leve nor looth

     I have so many idle thoughts / Purely from lack of sleep / That I swear I take no heed / Of anything, whether it comes or goes, / And nothing is either dear to me or hated.

2. empty, void, vacant
3. idle, inactive
4. lazy, sluggish

Related terms

• ydelly
• ydelnesse
• ydelschipe

Descendants

• English: idle
• Scots: idle

References

• “īdel, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Noun

ydel (uncountable)

2. (rare) uselessness, waste
4. (rare) idleness, inactivity

Descendants

• English: idle

References

• “īdel, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.