idleness
part of speech
noun (idleness; uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) Idleness is being lazy and not working or doing anything useful. tree →
2) Idleness is also simply not being in use or not busy: a machine's idleness. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Idleness is laziness, a failing that the wise books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes warn leads to ruin. Interpretation: The tradition praises the capable woman of Proverbs 31, sung on Friday nights, because she never eats the bread of idleness. Honest work is seen as a virtue. In the primary lessons: In stories, fables and sayings, idleness is shown as a fault: «Idleness is the root of all mischief». In ethics and church teaching, laziness (sloth) is one of the old list of sins. Phrases: «a life of idleness», «idle hands».
examples
- By slothfulness the rafters sink in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh. (Writings ECC.10.18, JPS 1917) tree →
- She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. (Writings PRO.31.27, JPS 1917) tree →
- The grasshopper spent the summer in idleness while the ants worked. tree →
- His idleness meant his homework never got done. tree →
- After weeks of idleness, the factory machines were rusty. tree →
- A little idleness on a holiday can be nice. tree →
- «Idle hands make mischief,» Grandma says. tree →
- Idleness made the long afternoon feel boring. tree →
- Idleness is a great sin, and I certainly don’t like any of my friends to be idle or sluggish. tree →
note
Uncountable. Adjective «idle», adverb «idly». Do not confuse «idle» with «idol» (a famous person you admire, or a statue worshipped). Resting is not idleness: everyone needs rest.
In the corpora
- She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
- By slothfulness the rafters sink in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «idleness» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.