footling

[ foo t-ling ]
/ ˈfʊt lɪŋ /

adjective Informal.

foolish; silly: ridiculous, footling remarks.
trifling or useless.

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Origin of footling

First recorded in 1895–1900; footle + -ing2

Words nearby footling

footle, footless, footlet, footlight, footlights, footling, footling presentation, footlocker, footlong, footloose, footloose and fancy-free

Definition for footling (2 of 2)

footle
[ foo t-l ]
/ ˈfʊt l /
Informal.

verb (used without object), foot·led, foot·ling.

to act or talk in a foolish or silly way.

noun

nonsense; foolishness; silliness.

Origin of footle

1890–95; origin uncertain; cf. footy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for footling

British Dictionary definitions for footling (1 of 2)

footling
/ (ˈfuːtlɪŋ) /

adjective

informal silly, trivial, or petty

British Dictionary definitions for footling (2 of 2)

footle
/ (ˈfuːtəl) informal /

verb (intr)

(often foll by around or about) to loiter aimlessly; potter
to talk nonsense

noun

rare foolishness

Word Origin for footle

C19: probably from French foutre to copulate with, from Latin futuere
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012