lazy
- averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion; indolent.
- causing idleness or indolence: a hot, lazy afternoon.
- slow-moving; sluggish: a lazy stream.
- (of a livestock brand) placed on its side instead of upright.
- to laze.
Origin of lazy
Synonyms
See more synonyms for lazy on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
lazy
- not inclined to work or exertion
- conducive to or causing indolence
- moving in a languid or sluggish mannera lazy river
- (of a brand letter or mark on livestock) shown as lying on its side
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for lazies
lazy
adj.
1540s, 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 German, cf. Middle Low German laisch "weak, feeble, tired," modern Low German läösig, early modern Dutch leuzig, all of which may go back to the PIE root *(s)leg- "slack." According to Weekley, the -z- sound disqualifies a connection with French lassé "tired" or German lassig "lazy, weary, tired." A supposed dialectal meaning "naught, bad," if it is the original sense, may tie the word to Old Norse lasenn "dilapidated," lasmøyrr "decrepit, fragile," root of Icelandic las-furða "ailing," las-leiki "ailment." Lazy Susan is from 1917.