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Lacking, or not bearing, fruit; barren; destitute of offspring; as, a fruitless tree or shrub; a fruitless marriage. Shak.

Rendering fruitless or ineffectual. [Obs.] "Plunged in that abortive gulf." Milton.

In an abortive or untimely manner; immaturely; fruitlessly.

Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty. Brilliant but barren reveries. Prescott. Some schemes will appear barren of hints and matter. Swift.

plex with mazes; or in general, to perplex or confuse greatly. Lost and bewildered in the fruitless search. Addison.

Empty; void; without result; fruitless; as, a blank space; a blank day.

no effect, or Without effect, destitute of results, validity, force, and the like; vain; fruitless. "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition." Mark vii. 13. "All my study be to no effect." Shak. -- To give effect to, to make valid; to carry out in practice; to push to its results. -- To take eff…

Without profitable end; fruitless; unsatisfying. [R.] "All loves are endless." Beau. & Fl.

upplicate successfully; to prevail upon by prayer or solicitation; to persuade. It were a fruitless attempt to appease a power whom no prayers could entreat. Rogers.

The condition or quality of being idle (in the various senses of that word); uselessness; fruitlessness; triviality; inactivity; laziness.

oduce the desired or proper effect; inefficiency; ineffectualness; futility; uselessness; fruitlessness; as, the inefficacy of medicines or means. The seeming inefficacy of censures. Bp. Hall. The inefficacy was soon proved, like that of many similar medicines. James Gregory.

ate; as, to place a book on a shelf; to place balls in tennis. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown. Shak.

tion of the earth. But grief returns with the revolving year. Shelley. Revolving seasons, fruitless as they pass. Cowper. Revolving firearm. See Revolver. -- Revolving light, a light or lamp in a lighthouse so arranged as to appear and disappear at fixed intervals, either by being turned about an axis so as to show li…

Destitute of forge or efficacy; effecting no purpose; fruitless; ineffectual; as, vain toil; a vain attempt. Bring no more vain oblations. Isa. i. 13. Vain is the force of man To crush the pillars which the pile sustain. Dryden.

That which is vain; anything empty, visionary, unreal, or unsubstantial; fruitless desire or effort; trifling labor productive of no good; empty pleasure; vain pursuit; idle show; unsubstantial enjoyment. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher. Eccl. i. 2. Vanity possesseth many who are desirous to know the certainty o…

bores in the roots of the grapevine and is often destructive. -- Vine dragon, an old and fruitless branch of a vine. [Obs.] Holland. -- Vine forester (Zoöl.), any one of several species of moths belonging to Alypia and allied genera, whose larvæ feed on the leaves of the grapevine. -- Vine fretter (Zoöl.), a plant l…

Witless bravery." Shak. A witty mother! witless else her son. Shak. Witless pity breedeth fruitless love. Fairfax. -- Wit"less*ly, adv. -- Wit"less*ness, n.

Indulging in a vagrant or idle exercise of the imagination; roaming upon a fruitless quest; idly fanciful.