| 释义 |
nugatory, a.|ˈnjuːgətərɪ|
[ad. L. nūgātōrius, f. ppl. stem of nūgārī to trifle. Cf. It. and Sp. nugatorio, F. nugatoire.]
1. Trifling, of no value or importance, worthless.
1603Holland Plutarch's Mor. 1156 That we may not range too farre, nor use any superfluous and nugatory words. 1674S. Jeake Arith. Surv. (1696) 613 The Equation is either Nugatory or Impossible. 1692Bentley Boyle Lect. iii. 106 Too much addicted to this nugatory Art. 1786Jefferson Writ. (1859) I. 520, I have been obliged..to a nugatory interference, merely to prevent the affairs of the United States from standing still. 1791W. Maxwell in Boswell Johnson an. 1770, Lord Lyttelton's Dialogues he deemed a nugatory performance. 1841D'Israeli Amen. Lit. (1867) 299 The diligence of the editor has not been wasted on trivial researches or nugatory commentaries. 1879Thomson & Tait Nat. Phil. I. i. §81 Therefore the construction fails..and the theorem becomes nugatory.
2. Of no force, invalid; useless, futile, of no avail, inoperative.
1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. vii. §5 Which assignation..may seem to be nugatory and void. 1648Prynne Plea for Lords 27 Which Act will be..void and nugatory. 1772Junius Lett. Pref. (1788) 19 As the fact is usually admitted,..the office of the petty jury is nugatory. 1786tr. Beckford's Vathek (1868) 9 His reiterated attempts were all of them nugatory. 1838Prescott Ferd. & Isab. (1846) II. xvii. 128 Those provisions of the edict..were contrived so artfully as to be nearly nugatory. 1878Lecky Eng. in 18th C. I. ii. 306 The law..was evaded and made almost nugatory. |