a. [f. FRUIT sb. + -LESS.] Devoid of fruit.

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  1.  Not producing fruit; barren, sterile. † Rarely of animals: Not producing offspring, unfruitful.

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1513.  Bradshaw, St. Werburge (1887), 805.

        With whom this lady lyued a longe season
Barrayn and fruyteles of generacion.

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1546.  Supplic. Poore Commons (E.E.T.S.), 92. Rotton and fruyteles trees.

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1596.  Edw. III., I. ii. 151. The ground … seemes barrayne, sere, vnfertill, fructles [ed. 1599, fruitles], dry.

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1601.  Holland, Pliny, I. 224. Such begotten in this maner, what kind of creatures soeuer they be, are themselues barren and fruitles, vnable either to beare or beget yong.

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1615.  Crooke, Body of Man, 230. We see some women which haue conceyued to become fruitlesse for a space.

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1634.  Rainbow, Labour (1635), 3. Christ … had power … to turne the fruitlesse desarts into kitchins.

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1725.  Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. July, Diligently removing, either by Pinching or the Knife, all weak and fruitless Shoots.

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1800.  Stuart, in Owen, Wellesley’s Desp., 571. The part that does not belong to us is savage and fruitless.

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1851.  Ruskin, Stones Ven., II. iv. § 17. 69. The root of a fruitless tree.

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  2.  Yielding no profit or advantage; producing no effect or result; inefficacious, ineffectual, unprofitable, useless; empty, idle, vain.

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c. 1340.  Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 5665.

        Of ilk idel worde, spoken in vayne,
Þat es to say, þat war fruytles.

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1500–20.  Dunbar, Poems, lxvi. 2. This waverand warldis wretchidness, The failȝeand and frutless bissiness.

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1580.  Sidney, Arcadia, I. (1605), 44. The basest and fruitlessest of al passions.

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1590.  Shaks., Mids. N., III. ii. 371. When they next wake, all this derision Shall seeme a dreame, and fruitlesse vision.

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1611.  Bible, Wisd. xv. 4. For neither did the mischieuous inuention of men deceiue vs: nor an image spotted with diuers colours, the painters fruitlesse labour.

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1697.  Dampier, Voy., I. ix. 251. Our search was … fruitless.

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1751.  Jortin, Serm. (1771), V. iii. 49. Vows which often end in fruitless regrets.

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1849.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 298. The liberality of the nation had been made fruitless by the vices of the government.

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1878.  Morley, Carlyle, Crit. Misc. Ser. I. 202. In a word, he is a prophet and not a philosopher, and it is fruitless to go to him for help in the solution of philosophic problems.

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  3.  a. Of persons: Not attaining one’s object; unsuccessful. b. Const. of. Unable to produce or utter (words). rare.

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1843.  Carlyle, Past & Pr., II. vi. The Devil and the Dream both fled away fruitless. Ibid. (1858), Fredk. Gt., IV. v. (1865), I. 309. He storms and rages forward … but … has to retire fruitless, about daybreak, himself wounded.

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1869.  Lowell, Under the Willows, Poet. Wks. (1880), 195.

        Forgotten, and yet dumbly felt with thrills
Moving the lips, though fruitless of the words.

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  Hence Fruitlessly adv., Fruitlessness.

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1612–5.  Bp. Hall, Contempt., O. T., XI. v. Then she had griefe from her own fruitlesnesse.

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1626.  Massinger, Rom. Actor, IV. i. You have but fruitlessly laboured to sully A white robe of perfection.

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1727.  W. Mather, Yng. Man’s Comp., 72. Time fruitlesly pass’d away, will in the end cause an aking Heart.

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1791.  Mrs. Radcliffe, Rom. Forest, xi. She saw the inconvenience and fruitlessness of opposition.

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1858.  Froude, Hist. Eng., IV. xviii. 55. Policy had laboured for a union, and had laboured fruitlessly.

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1872.  Liddon, Elem. Relig., v. 184. If by ‘God’ is meant only [etc.] … we need not read Spinoza to convince ourselves of the fruitlessness of prayer.

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