entry
futile
/ˈfjuː.taɪl/incapable of producing any useful result
From Latin fund-/fus- (to pour).
from Latin futilis , futtilis "vain, worthless, futile," a figurative use, literally "pouring out easily, easily...
+1 more sourcefrom French futile or directly
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin futilis , futtilis "vain, worthless, futile," a figurative use, literally "pouring out easily, easily...
+1 more sourcefrom French futile or directly
+1 more sourcePicture a clay jug with a hairline crack: no matter how carefully you fill it, the water keeps slipping away. That was the original image behind Latin fūtilis, something that leaked so readily it became a perfect metaphor for anything unreliable, worthless, or doomed to fail. English picked it up through French in the 1550s, and the word kept the same wet, hopeless sense—an effort that runs right through your fingers. It sits in the same old family as words built from Latin fundere, like refund and effusion, all shadowed by the idea of pouring. So when a plan is futile, it isn’t just weak; it’s a vessel with a crack in the bottom.
The Story
Picture a clay jug with a hairline crack: no matter how carefully you fill it, the water keeps slipping away. That was the original image behind Latin fūtilis, something that leaked so readily it became a perfect metaphor for anything unreliable, worthless, or doomed to fail. English picked it up through French in the 1550s, and the word kept the same wet, hopeless sense—an effort that runs right through your fingers. It sits in the same old family as words built from Latin fundere, like refund and effusion, all shadowed by the idea of pouring. So when a plan is futile, it isn’t just weak; it’s a vessel with a crack in the bottom.
Kin & Kindred
From 'fund-/fus-'·to pour, spill, melt
Derived Terms
English words from this root