furloughedadj.
/ˈfəːləʊd/, U.S. /ˈfərˌloʊd/ 1. That has been granted furlough (furlough n. 2) or leave.In quot. 1848 figurative: unoccupied, inactive.
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society > leisure > [adjective] > at or having leisure > on leave
furloughed1811
1811 W. R. Spencer tr. G. A. Bürger Leonora in Poems 5 Ten thousand furlow'd Heroes [Ger. jedes Heer].
1848 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 1st Ser. Introd. p. xiii The dame..patted the furloughed ferule on her palm.
1864 Daily Tel. 26 Nov. All furloughed officers and men have been ordered to return immediately.
1988 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 13 Sept. (Metro section) 7/1 Furloughed prisoners have half the recidivist rate of others when finally released.
2. Originally U.S. Of an employee: that has been dismissed or suspended, usually due to economic conditions; put on unplanned (and typically unpaid and involuntary) leave.Chiefly U.S. until use of the term became more widespread following the UK government's introduction of a furlough scheme in March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic: see note at furlough n. 3.
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1871 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Daily Gaz. 24 June The Official Journal publishes a decree recalling to their posts all furloughed treasurers, receivers and collectors.
1936 Railway Age 14 Nov. 708/2 The matter of re-employment of furloughed workers is the sore spot of the economic situation of railway labor.
2020 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 31 May (Business & Money section) 1 (headline) Treasury urged to step in as furloughed staff face losing their jobs.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1811