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Today it means

furlough

leave of absence, especially temporary layoff from work

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Where does the word "furlough" come from? It comes from Dutch verlof, and was adopted directly into English (1620s).

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Where does the word "furlough" come from? It comes from Dutch verlof, and was adopted directly into English (1620s).

Furlough’s story begins in Dutch: verlof meant “permission, leave.” 'ver-' plus 'lof', permission, related to English 'leave'. It reached English by 1620s as furlough. Brought home by English soldiers who fought in Dutch service; later, became widely known in Britain during the COVID-19 job retention scheme. Today, furlough means leave of absence, especially temporary layoff from work.

  1. Stage 1 · Dutch · 1600s verlof "permission, leave", 'ver-' plus 'lof', permission, related to English 'leave'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1620s furlough "leave of absence; later temporary unpaid leave", brought home by English soldiers who fought in Dutch service; later, became widely known in Britain during the COVID-19 job retention scheme.

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