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feckless - 4 dictionary results

feck⋅less

  [fek-lis]
Use feckless in a Sentence
–adjective
1. ineffective; incompetent; futile: feckless attempts to repair the plumbing.
2. having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy.
Origin:
1590–1600; orig. Scots, equiv. to feck, late ME (Scots) fek, aph. form of effeck (Scots form of effect ) + -less

Related forms:
feck⋅less⋅ly, adverb
feck⋅less⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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feck·less   (fěk'lĭs)   
adj.  
  1. Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective.
  2. Careless and irresponsible.

[Scots feck, effect (alteration of effect) + -less.]
feck'less·ly adv., feck'less·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Feckless

Feck"less\, a. [Perh. a corruption of effectless.] Spiritless; weak; worthless. [Scot]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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feckless 
1599, from feck, "effect, value, vigor" (1470), Scot. shortened form of effect; popularized by Carlyle, who left its opposite, feckful, in dial. obscurity.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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