Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ



Nov 12, 2014
This week's theme
Words that appear to be misspelled

This week's words
tegular
refection
frustraneous
wonted
ambagious

Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

frustraneous

PRONUNCIATION:
(fruhs-TRAY-nee-uhs)

MEANING:
adjective: Useless; unprofitable.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin frustra (in vain). Earliest documented use: 1643.

USAGE:
"As the author of Onania expresses it, a 'frustraneous [exercise] ... center[ing] in nothing but the pleasure of sense."
Anne Elizabeth Carson; "Exquisite Torture"; Eighteenth-Century Studies; Summer 2007.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Patience is also a form of action. -Auguste Rodin, sculptor (1840-1917)

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

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith