worthless
Meaning
Having no real value or use
(of a person) having no good qualities or useful skills
Structure
Usage
The contract was rendered worthless after the company declared bankruptcy.
He felt worthless after being repeatedly rejected for jobs.
They sifted through a pile of worthless junk in the attic.
Etymology
The word "worthless" is a transparent compound formed within English from its native Germanic elements. The root "worth" originates from the Proto-Germanic werþaz, meaning "toward, opposite," which evolved to signify "equivalent in value" in Old English. The suffix "-less" descends from the Old English -lēas, itself derived from the noun lēas meaning "falsehood, lie," and came to function as a privative, meaning "devoid of." Therefore, the literal construction "devoid of worth" directly and logically yields the modern abstract meanings of having no value, use, or merit. This pattern of appending "-less" to a noun to create a negative adjective is a highly productive feature of English word formation.
Analysis
- worth: From Old English weorþ, meaning "value, price, equal in value to". Its functional role is the core semantic root denoting value. - less: From Old English -lēas, an adjective-forming suffix meaning "free from, without, lacking". Its functional role is a privative suffix that negates the root.