, es. ; n. Add: I. that which is useless, vain, or frivolous :-- Swá hwylc ídel swá him tó geþance yrnð and him gecoren bið, þæt hié taliað hálig, R. Ben. 9, 18. Ðá ðe willað tó fela ídles and unnyttes gespræcan verbosi. Past. 271, 7. Ídle casso, Wrt. Voc. ii. 103, 37 : 14, 4. Wá þám þe cyrican mid ídele sécað: þæt syndan þá ungesǽligan þe ðǽr fleardiað mid ídelre spǽce and hwílum mid ídelre ðǽde, Wlfst. 279, 5-8. Ðonne ongitt ðín sáwl ðæt ðú sylf lufodest ídel, Hex. 50, 22. ¶ on ídel. Take here the passages in Dict. under ídel; III. and add: (l) in vain, to no purpose :-- Hí on ídel sóhton sáwle míne, ipsi in vanum quaesierunt animam meam, Ps. Th. 62, 8. (2) without cause :-- Ne flít ðú on ídel ne contendas (contra dominem)frustra, Kent. Gl. 57. Ne nemn þú Drihtnes naman on ýdel (in vanum); ne byð unscyldig sé þe his naman on ýdel (frustra), nemð, Ex. 20, 7. Ne dwela ðú on ídel be not deceived without cause (2 Mace. vii. 18), Hml. S. 25 157. II. idleness, Prov. Kmbl. 1: 61 (in Dict.) [The Latin translated in Lch. iii. 214, ii is: Si uideris multas capras, uanitatem significat; the Latin original of Guth. 70, 2 is: Non est praetereundum silentio . . .] See next word.