A.Word.A.Day --fool's errand

A.Word.A.Day

Home

Oct 24, 2011

This week's theme
Whose what?

This week's words
fool's errand
gentlemen's agreement
dogsbody
beginner's luck
driver's seat

Have your say
on our bulletin board
Wordsmith Talk

Discuss

Feedback

RSS/XML

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

My iPad, their Toyota, her house... In a typical day we talk a lot about possessions: having things. The word possess is from Latin possidere, from potis (having the power) + sedere (to sit). So when you possess something, say a patch of earth, you have the power to sit upon it, literally speaking.

The English language has many terms about who has what. Enjoy this week's words that answer "Whose what?" but it's important to remember that the best things in life are not possessed, they are free. We don't say my ocean, his stars, or their sun.

fool's errand

PRONUNCIATION:

(foolz ER-uhnd)

MEANING:

noun: An absurd or futile undertaking.

ETYMOLOGY:

From English fool, from Latin follis (windbag, fool) + errand, from Old English aerende (message, mission). Earliest documented use: 1705.

USAGE:

"Richard Sloan adds that even attempting to find a scientific basis for a link between prayer and healing is a fool's errand."
Tyrone M. Reyes; The Power of Prayer; The Philippine Star (Manila); Mar 30, 2010.

See more usage examples of fool's errand in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy. -J.D. Salinger, writer (1919-2010)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise