uselessly

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *oissos

Latin ūsus

Old French usbor.

Middle English use

English use

Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der.

Proto-Germanic *leusaną

Proto-Germanic *lausaz

Proto-Germanic *-lausaz

Proto-West Germanic *-laus

Old English -lēas

Middle English -les

English -less

English useless

Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der.

Proto-Germanic *līkąder.

Proto-Germanic *-līkaz

Proto-Germanic *-ê

Proto-Germanic *-līkê

Proto-West Germanic *-līkē

Old English -līċe

Middle English -ly

English -ly

English uselessly

From useless + -ly.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adverb

uselessly (comparative more uselessly, superlative most uselessly)

1. In a useless manner.
2. To no useful purpose.
   • 1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 213:

     Mr. Civil, warned and guided by distant axe-whangs, had found them, and had been unsparing in his condemnation of Jim's stupid waste of time in coming an unnecessary mile to chop down a tree uselessly far away.

Translations

in a useless manner

• Catalan: inútilment (ca)
• Chinook Jargon: k'ax̣chi
• Finnish: turhasti, kelvottomasti (fi)
• Old English: unnytlīċe
• Polish: bezużytecznie (pl)
• Portuguese: inutilmente (pt)
• Scottish Gaelic: gun fheum
• Spanish: inútilmente (es)

to no useful purpose

• Finnish: turhaan (fi)
• French: inutilement (fr)
• Middle English: ydelly
• Norman: innutilement
• Old English: unnytlīċe
• Polish: bezużytecznie (pl)
• Scottish Gaelic: gun fheum