Furlough and verlof compared: USA England and South Africa

The English word “furlough” in the U.S. (meaning a leave of absence, especially from military duty or, in modern usage, temporary layoff from work) is indeed derived from the Dutch word “verlof” (meaning “leave” or “permission”).

Here’s the path:

  • Dutch “verlof” = leave, permission.
  • Borrowed into early 17th-century military English (through the Anglo-Dutch military contacts, especially when Dutch military systems influenced English ones).
  • The pronunciation shifted to “furlough”, with the final -gh spelling reflecting English phonetic conventions of the time.

Later, in the U.S., “furlough” broadened beyond military leave to mean a temporary layoff from civilian employment, especially during economic downturns or government shutdowns.

Would you like me to give you a timeline of how the word shifted in meaning from Dutch military leave → British English → American civilian usage?

Great question — here’s a timeline of “furlough” from Dutch → English → American usage:

1600s – Dutch origin

  • Word: verlof (Dutch)
  • Meaning: “permission,” “leave,” “authorized absence.”
  • Used widely in the Dutch military (the Dutch Republic had one of the most professional armies in Europe at the time).

Early 1600s – Borrowed into English

  • During the Anglo-Dutch wars and the Thirty Years’ War, many English soldiers served alongside Dutch forces.
  • English borrowed the term, anglicized it to “furlough” (likely from the Dutch phrase op verlof gaan = “to go on leave”).
  • Meaning: specifically military leave — a soldier granted temporary permission to be absent.

1700s – Spread in English military usage

  • Widely used in British Army contexts.
  • Still strictly a military term: “He has been granted a furlough of three months.”

1700s–1800s – Migration to America

  • Brought over with British colonists and armies.
  • Became a standard word in U.S. military practice, especially in the Revolutionary War and Civil War.

1800s–1900s – U.S. broadens meaning

  • In America, furlough started to extend beyond military use.
  • By the late 1800s, it could also mean:
    • Leave granted to prisoners (temporary release).
    • Temporary leave from work.

1900s–Present – Civilian usage dominates in U.S.

  • By the 20th century, especially during the Great Depression, “furlough” was used for unpaid leave from employment.
  • Today, in U.S. usage:
    • Military furlough = soldier’s leave of absence.
    • Civilian furlough = temporary layoff or unpaid leave (e.g., government shutdowns, COVID-19 pandemic).

✅ Summary:
Dutch verlof → borrowed into English military as furlough → stayed military in Britain → broadened in the U.S. to cover civilian employment and economic layoffs.

Would you like me to also show you the difference today between U.S. vs British English usage of “furlough”?

Here’s a clear U.S. vs. British English comparison of “furlough” today:

🇺🇸 United States (modern usage)

  • Very common in both military and civilian contexts.
  • Two main meanings:
    1. Military: a soldier’s official leave of absence.
      • “He’s on furlough for two weeks before redeployment.”
    2. Civilian: temporary unpaid leave or layoff, often due to financial constraints.
      • “Federal workers were furloughed during the government shutdown.”
      • “The company furloughed half its staff during COVID-19.”
  • In U.S. workplaces, “furlough” usually means you’re still technically employed but not being paid for a period.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom (modern usage)

  • Historically: furlough was only military (leave granted to soldiers).
  • Civilian employment sense was almost never used in Britain before 2020.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government adopted the American usage for its Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“furlough scheme”), where workers were paid by the government while employers temporarily stopped work.
    • This made “furlough” suddenly very common in British civilian speech.
  • After COVID, the word has retreated again in the UK, but people still understand it due to the scheme.

Key Difference Today

  • U.S.: furlough is part of everyday employment vocabulary, especially for layoffs/unpaid leave.
  • UK: mainly military, except for the special pandemic-era usage (2020–2021). Outside that context, “furlough” still sounds American.

👉 In short:

  • In the U.S., furlough = temporary layoff / unpaid leave.
  • In the UK, furlough = soldier’s leave (except during COVID, when it briefly took on the U.S. meaning).

Would you like me to also explain how the original Dutch word “verlof” is still used today in the Netherlands, and how its meaning compares to “furlough”?

Excellent — let’s tie it together with Netherlands, USA, UK, and South Africa:

🇳🇱 Netherlands – “verlof” today

  • Still a living, everyday word in Dutch.
  • Means broadly “leave, permission, time off.”
  • Uses:
    • Military: op verlof gaan = to go on leave (same as 400 years ago).
    • Work: annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave, etc. (vakantieverlof, ziekteverlof).
    • Legal: permission, e.g. a court may grant verlof to proceed.
  • Very general word — covers both personal leave and official permission.

🇺🇸 United States – “furlough” today

  • Military: soldier’s leave of absence.
  • Civilian/employment: temporary layoff or unpaid leave (still employed but not working/paid).
  • Became mainstream in public vocabulary during government shutdowns and COVID-19.
  • Broader than Dutch “verlof”, because it specifically includes the idea of temporary suspension of work/pay.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom – “furlough” today

  • Traditionally: only military leave.
  • Civilian sense entered common speech during the COVID-19 “furlough scheme”, when workers were kept on payroll but not working.
  • After COVID, that civilian meaning largely faded, but people still recognize it.
  • For normal work contexts, Brits still usually say “leave” or “laid off”, not furlough.

🇿🇦 South Africa – usage today

  • Because of Dutch/Afrikaans influence, SA has a double inheritance:
    • English “furlough”: rare in daily South African English outside military contexts. People here usually say “on leave”, “unpaid leave,” or “temporary layoff.”
    • Afrikaans “verlof”: still in daily use, exactly like Dutch.
      • Ek is met verlof = I’m on leave.
      • Used for all forms of leave (annual, sick, maternity, etc.), in both everyday speech and formal HR/labour contexts.
  • Labour law: South African statutes (written in English) don’t use furlough, they use leave (annual leave, sick leave, family responsibility leave). In Afrikaans translations, these are rendered as verlof.

🔑 Comparison Snapshot

Region Military meaning Civilian meaning Common today?
Netherlands (verlof) Yes Yes (all types of leave/permission) Very common
USA (furlough) Yes Yes (esp. unpaid leave/temporary layoff) Very common
UK (furlough) Yes Rare, except COVID scheme (2020–21) Not common outside military
South Africa Yes (in English “furlough,” rare) In English: not really (say “leave/layoff” instead). In Afrikaans: verlof = very common. Common in Afrikaans, uncommon in SA English

✅ So the Dutch verlof gave birth to English furlough, but in the Netherlands and South Africa (Afrikaans), verlof kept its broad everyday meaning “leave/permission,” while in the U.S. furlough narrowed into the special sense of temporary suspension from duty/work.