Footless

/ˈfʊtləs/ adjective

Definition

Without feet or footrests; lacking a proper foundation or support; lacking sense or validity.

Etymology

From 'foot' plus '-less' suffix meaning 'without.' Used literally for creatures without feet, and figuratively since at least the 17th century for baseless arguments.

Kelly Says

A footless argument is one that can't stand on its own—the metaphor from literal feet to intellectual grounding is so perfect that footless has meant 'senseless' for centuries.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.