Ydelnesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Medieval English term for the state of having nothing to do, or of avoiding work and useful effort
2. An archaic word for the condition of being inactive, unemployed in one's tasks, or lazily disengaged
3. Old spelling denoting a lack of occupation, sloth, or a willingness to remain unproductive and at rest

Etymology: In its earliest senses, the root of this word described emptiness rather than laziness. Old English "īdel" meant empty, vain, or worthless, and it could describe a container with nothing in it as easily as a useless effort. Its cognate in Old High German, "ītal," carried the same sense of emptiness and futility, so the root has long been about things lacking substance. The spelling "ydelnesse" comes from Middle English, where "y" and "i" were often interchangeable in writing. It is built from "idel" (or "ydel") plus the suffix "-nesse," which turns an adjective into a noun for a state or quality, as in "goodness" or "kindness." The result was a noun for the condition of being empty, vain, or purposeless, and the sense of unproductive inactivity grew out of that idea of having nothing to do.