| 释义 |
fruitless, a.|ˈfruːtlɪs|
[f. fruit n. + -less.]
Devoid of fruit.
1. Not producing fruit; barren, sterile. † Rarely of animals: Not producing offspring, unfruitful.
1513Bradshaw St. Werburge (1887) 806 With whom this lady lyued a longe season Barrayn and fruyteles of generacion. 1546Supplic. Poore Commons (E.E.T.S.) 92 Rotton and fruyteles trees. 1596Edw. III, i. ii. 151 The ground..seemes barrayne, sere, vnfertill, fructles [ed. 1599 fruitles], dry. 1601Holland Pliny I. 224 Such begotten in this maner..are themselues barren and fruitles, vnable either to beare or beget yong. 1615Crooke Body of Man 230 We see some women which haue conceyued to become fruitlesse for a space. 1634Rainbow Labour (1635) 3 Christ..had power..to turne the fruitlesse desarts into kitchins. 1725Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. July, Diligently removing, either by Pinching or the Knife, all weak and fruitless Shoots. 1800Stuart in Owen Wellesley's Desp. 571 The part that does not belong to us is savage and fruitless. 1851Ruskin Stones Ven. II. iv. §17. 69 The root of a fruitless tree.
2. Yielding no profit or advantage; producing no effect or result; inefficacious, ineffectual, unprofitable, useless; empty, idle, vain.
1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 5666 Ilk idel worde, spoken in vayne, Þat es to say, þat war fruytles. 1500–20Dunbar Poems lxvi. 2 This waverand warldis wretchidness, The failȝeand and frutless bissiness. 1580Sidney Arcadia i. (1605) 44 The basest and fruitlessest of al passions. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 371 When they next wake, all this derision Shall seeme a dreame, and fruitlesse vision. 1611Bible Wisd. xv. 4 An image spotted with diuers colours, the painters fruitlesse labour. 1697W. Dampier Voy. I. ix. 251 Our search was..fruitless. 1751Jortin Serm. (1771) V. iii. 49 Vows which often end in fruitless regrets. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 298 The liberality of the nation had been made fruitless by the vices of the government. 1878Morley Crit. Misc., Carlyle 202 It is fruitless to go to him for help in the solution of philosophic problems.
3. a. Of persons: Not attaining one's object; unsuccessful. b. Const. of. Unable to produce or utter (words). rare.
1843Carlyle Past & Pr. ii. vi, The Devil and the Dream both fled away fruitless. 1858― Fredk. Gt. iv. v. (1865) I. 309 He storms and rages forward..but..has to retire fruitless, about daybreak, himself wounded. 1869Lowell Under the Willows Poet. Wks. (1880) 195 Dumbly felt with thrills Moving the lips, though fruitless of the words.
Hence ˈfruitlessly adv., ˈfruitlessness.
1612–15Bp. Hall Contempl., O.T. xi. v, Then she had griefe from her own fruitlesnesse. 1626Massinger Rom. Actor iv. i, You have but fruitlessly laboured to sully A white robe of perfection. 1727W. Mather Yng. Man's Comp. 72 Time fruitlesly pass'd away, will in the end cause an aking Heart. 1791Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest xi, She saw the inconvenience and fruitlessness of opposition. 1858Froude Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 55 Policy had laboured for a union, and had laboured fruitlessly. 1872Liddon Elem. Relig. v. 184 If by ‘God’ is meant only [etc.]..we need not read Spinoza to convince ourselves of the fruitlessness of prayer. |