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loaf·er¹

(lōfər)

One who is habitually idle: disliked loafers on the job.

[Short for obsolete land-loafer, vagabond, idler, possibly partial translation of obsolete German Landläufer, from Middle High German landlöufer : land, land + löufer, runner (from loufen, to run, from Old High German hlouffan).]

loaf·er²

(lōfər)

A low leather step-in shoe with an upper resembling a moccasin but with a broad, flat heel.

[Originally a trademark.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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