lazy

Meanings

Adjective

• Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion.
• Causing or characterised by idleness; relaxed or leisurely.
• Showing a lack of effort or care.
• Sluggish; slow-moving.
• Lax:
• Turned so that (the letter) is horizontal instead of vertical.
• Employing lazy evaluation; not calculating results until they are immediately required.
• Wicked; vicious.

Verb

• To laze, act in a lazy manner.

Noun

• A lazy person.
• Sloth (animal).

Related

Similar words

• bone-idle, idle, indolent, slothful, work-shy

Origin

• Attested since 1540, origin uncertain. Probably from Middle Low German lasich, from las, from Proto-Germanic *lasiwaz, *laskaz, from Proto-Indo-European *las-. Akin to Dutch leuzig, Old Norse lasinn, Old English lesu, lysu. More at lush.
• An alternate etymology traces lazy to Early Modern English laysy, a derivative of lay (plural lays + -y) in the same way that tipsy is derived from tip. See lay.