Moot vs Useless - What's the difference?
moot | useless |
Subject to discussion (originally at a ); arguable, debatable, unsolved or impossible to solve.
* 1770 , (Joseph Banks), The (published 1962):
* 1851 , (Herman Melville), :
* 2002 , , The Great Nation , Penguin 2003, p. 477:
(North America, chiefly, legal) Being an exercise of thought; academic.
(North America) Having no practical impact or relevance.
* 2007 , Paul Mankowski, "
A moot court.
* Sir T. Elyot
A system of arbitration in many areas of Africa in which the primary goal is to settle a dispute and reintegrate adversaries into society rather than assess penalties.
(Scouting) A gathering of Rovers (18–26 year-old Scouts), usually in the form of a camp lasting 2 weeks.
(paganism) A social gathering of pagans, normally held in a public house.
(historical) An assembly (usually for decision making in a locality).
(shipbuilding) A ring for gauging wooden pins.
To bring up as a subject for debate, to propose.
To discuss or debate.
* Sir W. Hamilton
* Sir T. Elyot
(US) To make or declare irrelevant.
To argue or plead in a supposed case.
* Ben Jonson
Without use or possibility to be used.
Unhelpful, not useful; pointless (of an action).
(pejorative, of a person) good-for-nothing; not dependable.
(colloquial, of a person) unable to do well at a particular task or thing. Useless is mildly insulting.
As adjectives the difference between moot and useless
is that moot is subject to discussion (originally at a moot); arguable, debatable, unsolved or impossible to solve while useless is without use or possibility to be used.As a noun moot
is a moot court.As a verb moot
is to bring up as a subject for debate, to propose.moot
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) moot, mot, . Related to (l).Adjective
(en adjective)- [T]he uncertain, unsettled condition of this science of Cetology is in the very vestibule attested by the fact, that in some quarters it still remains a moot point whether a whale be a fish.
- The extent to which these Parisian radicals ‘represented’ the French people as a whole was very moot .
- Walter Crane and Lewis F. Day (1903) Moot Points : Friendly Disputes on Art and Industry Between Walter Crane and Lewis F. Day
- That point may make for a good discussion, but it is moot .
The Languages of Biblical Translation", Adoremus Bulletin , Vol. 13, No. 4,
- The question [whether certain poetry was present in the original Hebrew Psalms] in our own time is moot , since various considerations have made it certain that, of all the hazards presented by biblical translation, a dangerous excess of beauty is not one of them.
Synonyms
* (without relevance) irrelevant, obsolete (if it was previously relevant)Derived terms
* moot point * moot courtNoun
(en noun)- The pleading used in courts and chancery called moots .
Derived terms
* folkmoot * gemootVerb
(en verb)- a problem which hardly has been mentioned, much less mooted , in this country
- First a case is appointed to be mooted by certain young men, containing some doubtful controversy.
- There is a difference between mooting and pleading; between fencing and fighting.
External links
*Etymology 2
Origin unknown.References
*useless
English
Adjective
(en-adj)- This fork has prongs that are bent. It's useless now.
- I think it's useless to keep this discussion going. It's like talking to a wall.
- I tried my best to make him quit smoking, but my efforts were useless . He now smokes six packs a day.
- Bill never mows the lawn, takes out the trash or anything. He's useless , but I love him anyways.
- My brother is useless at most computer games, but he is an awesome PS2 player.
- Why do you keep trying? You're obviously useless at it.
