Where does “futile” come from?
Futile comes from Middle French futile, from Latin futilis meaning "leaky" or "worthless," derived from the Proto-Indo-European root ǵʰew- meaning "to pour."
futile (English): Incapable of producing results; doomed not to be...
Definitions
- Incapable of producing results; doomed not to be...
Ancestry of “futile”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | futile | — |
| 2 | Latin | futilis | that easily pours out; that can not contain,... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰew- | to pour |
Words derived from “futile”