loafer

loafer · noun, verb¹

1. Old English · derived fromlāf“remainder, residue, what is left”
2. Middle English · derived fromlove
3. English todayloafer

Perhaps short for landloafer, possibly a partial translation of German Landläufer (compare dialectal German loofen (“to run”), and English landlouper); or more likely connected to Middle English love, loove, loffinge, looffinge (“a remnant, the rest, that which remains or lingers”), from Old English lāf (“remainder, residue, what is left”) (more at lave), which is akin to Scots lave (“the rest, remainder”), Old English lǣfan (“to let remain, leave behind”) (more at leave).

loafer · noun²

Named due to having a loaf in several of its stages.

loafer · noun³

1. Spanish · borrowed fromlobo“wolf”
2. English todayloafer

Borrowed from Spanish lobo (“wolf”), reinterpreted as or conflated with loafer (“idler”); compare the alternative forms which reflect other re-interpretations and conflations. Doublet of lupus and wolf.

Words from the same roots