deedless
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
deed + -less; obsolete sense is from earlier dadless, probably from Old Norse dáðlauss (“without virtue, incapable, lacking in courage and drive, despicable, cowardly”). Cognate with Danish dådløs (“non-heroic”), Swedish dådlös (“listless, shiftless”).
Adjective[edit]
deedless (comparative more deedless, superlative most deedless)
- (of real property) Of real property whose owners' claim is not evidence by formal record of ownership, such as a deed.
- (obsolete) Helpless; not performing, or not having performed, deeds or exploits; inactive.
- 1602, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, act IV, scene v, line 97:
- firm of word, / Speaking in deeds and deedless in his tongue
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
References[edit]
- Chambers's Etymological Dictionary, 1896, p. 114
- “deedless”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “deedless”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.