Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
idly. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
idly, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
idly in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
idly you have here. The definition of the word
idly will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
idly, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English idely, ydelly, idelliche, from Old English īdellīċe, equivalent to idle + -ly.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Adverb
idly (comparative more idly, superlative most idly)
- Without specific purpose, intent or effort.
I idly played with the paper, not even realizing I was folding it into a paper airplane.
- In an idle manner.
Derived terms
Translations
without specific purpose, intent or effort
References
Etymology 2
From Tamil இட்லி (iṭli), Kannada ಇಡ್ಲಿ (iḍli).
Noun
idly (plural idlies)
- Alternative spelling of idli
2010 September 27, KRISHNA GOPAL DUBEY, THE INDIAN CUISINE, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., →ISBN, page 246:A Tamil breakfast starts with idly (steamed rice cakes) with sambhar (hot, spicy and sour lentils with vegetables) and rasams (broth of lentil, spiced) and upma (cooked course wheat), lunch is generally dosai (thin crepes), vadas (deep fried nuggets of lentils) with sambhar.
Anagrams