/ ˈfɜːləʊ; NAmE ˈfɜːrloʊ/ noun [ U , C ]
1.
permission to leave your duties for a period of time, especially for soldiers working in a foreign country
2.
( NAmE ) permission for a prisoner to leave prison for a period of time
3.
( NAmE ) a period of time during which workers are told not to come to work, usually because there is not enough money to pay them
► fur·lough verb [ vn ]
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from Dutch verlof , modelled on German Verlaub , of West Germanic origin and related to leave (noun).