Save Gender Feminine Usage Greek Mythology Scripts Ἀεργία(Ancient Greek) Pronounced Pron. /eɪ.ˈɜr.dʒə/ [key·simplify] Meaning & History Means "idleness" in Greek, derived from the negative prefix α (a) and ἔργον (ergon) "work". This was the name of the Greek personification of sloth and idleness.