Wordwyrt

futile

/fˈjuːtəl/FYOO-tuhl
/fˈjutəl/FYOO-tuhl

Meaningpouring out or vain

Common meaning: incapable of producing a useful result

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√GHU‘pour’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 121, p. 734 · scan
  2. Latinfutilis‘pouring out or vain’source
  3. Old Frenchfutile‘light, vain’source
  4. Englishmeaning shiftslight, vain → incapable of producing a useful resultfutile‘incapable of producing a useful result’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin futilis ‘pouring out or vain’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry FUTILE, p. 224 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • futilis Latin “pouring out or vain”

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