no-account
UK[ˌnəʊ əˈkaʊnt]US[ˌnoʊ əˈkaʊnt]
adj
Of little or no worth, value, or importance; good-for-nothing.
n
A person considered to be of little or no worth, value, or importance.
Morpheme Breakdown
no
account
no
account
Etymology
The word "no-account" is a straightforward American English compound, formed by directly combining the negative "no" with the noun "account." The term "account" in this context derives from the commercial and social sense of "esteem, value, or consideration," as in being "held in account." Literally, a "no-account" person or thing is one for whom "no account" or value is registered. This colloquial term, emerging in the 19th century, vividly encapsulates a judgment of worthlessness by framing it as an absence on a ledger of social or moral value.
Analysis
Structure: no + account
- no (Old English): A negative particle, from 'nā', meaning "not at all, never."
- account (Old French, Latin): From Old French 'acont', from Latin 'computare' (to count, calculate). In this compound, it carries the sense of "worth, value, or estimation."
Examples
He was fired from yet another job, proving his no-account nature to his family.
Don't waste your time on that no-account scheme; it will never make a profit.
The old sheriff dismissed the newcomer as just another no-account drifter.