Furloughs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A temporary leave of absence granted to an employee, often without pay
2. a mandated break from work for personnel, particularly in government or military contexts
3. a period when employees are not required to report to work, typically due to budget cuts or organizational restructuring

Etymology: "Furloughs" is the plural of "furlough", a noun for a period of leave granted to a soldier, sailor or employee. The word came into English from Dutch "verlof", meaning permission or leave, which in turn was shaped by Middle Low German "verlōf". Its deeper roots lie in an Old Saxon verb combining "far-", a prefix giving the sense of "away" or "forth", with "lōvian", meaning to allow or to trust. The surprise is that "furlough" is a doublet of "leave", the ordinary English word. Both descend from the same Germanic root meaning permission, but "leave" came into English through a different route, so the two ended up as separate words. "Furlough" kept the sense of formal, granted permission, which is why it still sounds official today.

Synonyms: leaves, hiatuses