furlough
[ fur-loh ]
/ ˈfɜr loʊ /
noun
Military.
a vacation or leave of absence granted to an enlisted person.
a usually temporary layoff from work: Many plant workers have been forced to go on furlough.
a temporary leave of absence authorized for a prisoner from a penitentiary.
verb (used with object)
to grant a furlough to.
to lay (an employee or worker) off from work, usually temporarily.
Origin of furlough
1615–25; variant of earlier
furlogh, furloff < Dutch
verlof leave, permission; current pronunciation by association with
dough, etc.
OTHER WORDS FROM furlough
pre·fur·lough, nounWords nearby furlough
Example sentences from the Web for furlough
British Dictionary definitions for furlough
furlough
/ (ˈfɜːləʊ) /
noun
leave of absence from military duty
US
a temporary laying-off of employees, usually because there is insufficient work to occupy them
verb (tr)
to grant a furlough to
US
to lay off (staff) temporarily
Word Origin for furlough
C17: from Dutch
verlof, from
ver-
for- +
lof leave, permission; related to Swedish
förlof