la·zy
Audio Help [ley-zee] Pronunciation Key adjective, -zi·er, -zi·est, verb, -zied, -zy·ing.
—Related forms
Audio Help [ley-zee] Pronunciation Key adjective, -zi·er, -zi·est, verb, -zied, -zy·ing. –adjective
–verb (used without object)
| 1. | averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion; indolent. |
| 2. | causing idleness or indolence: a hot, lazy afternoon. |
| 3. | slow-moving; sluggish: a lazy stream. |
| 4. | (of a livestock brand) placed on its side instead of upright. |
| 5. | to laze. |
[Origin: 1540–50; cf. LG lasich languid, idle
]
] —Related forms
la·zi·ly, adverb
la·zi·ness, noun
la·zy·ish, adjective
—Antonyms 1. industrious. 3. quick.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
lazy
To learn more about lazy visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| la·zy
Audio Help (lā'zē) Pronunciation Key
adj. la·zi·er, la·zi·est
[Probably of Low German origin.] la'zi·ly adv., la'zi·ness n. Synonyms: These adjectives mean not disposed to exertion, work, or activity: too lazy to wash the dishes; fainéant aristocrats; an idle drifter; an indolent hanger-on; slothful employees. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
lazy
1549, laysy, of unknown origin. Replaced native slack, slothful, and idle as the main word expressing the notion of "averse to work." In 19c. thought to be from lay (v.) as tipsy from tip. Skeat is responsible for the prevailing modern view that it probably comes from Low Ger., cf. M.L.G. laisch "weak, feeble, tired," modern Low Ger. läösig, early modern Du. leuzig, all of which may go back to the PIE root *(s)leg- "slack." According to Weekley, the -z- sound disqualifies a connection with Fr. lassé "tired" or Ger. lassig "lazy, weary, tired." A supposed dialectal meaning "naught, bad," if it is the original sense, may tie the word to O.N. lasenn "dilapidated," lasmøyrr "decrepit, fragile," root of Icelandic las-furða "ailing," las-leiki "ailment." Laze is a back-formation first attested 1592; lazybones is first attested 1592. Lazy Susan is from 1917.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| lazy | |
adjective | |
| 1. | moving slowly and gently; "up a lazy river"; "lazy white clouds"; "at a lazy pace" |
| 2. | disinclined to work or exertion; "faineant kings under whose rule the country languished"; "an indolent hanger-on"; "too lazy to wash the dishes"; "shiftless idle youth"; "slothful employees"; "the unemployed are not necessarily work-shy" [syn: faineant] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
lazy [ˈleizi] adjective
too inclined to avoid hard work, exercise etc
Example: I take the bus to work as I'm too lazy to walk; Lazy people tend to become fat.
See also: lazy-bonesExample: I take the bus to work as I'm too lazy to walk; Lazy people tend to become fat.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Lazy Lake, FL (village, FIPS 39750) Location: 26.15575 N, 80.14535 W
Population (1990): 33 (16 housing units)
Area: 0.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Lazy Mountain, AK (CDP, FIPS 43260) Location: 61.62618 N, 148.94566 W
Population (1990): 838 (365 housing units)
Area: 107.0 sq km (land), 3.6 sq km (water)
| U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau |
Lazy
I"dle\, a. [Compar. Idler; superl. Idlest.] [OE. idel, AS. [=i]del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. [=i]dal, D. ijdel, OHG. [=i]tal 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. Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt. xii. 36. Down their idle weapons dropped. --Milton. This idle story became important. --Macaulay. 2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours. The idle spear and shield were high uphing. --Milton. 3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen. Why stand ye here all the day idle? --Matt. xx. 6. 4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow. 5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford. 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.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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