Revised 2019 More entries for "utile"
utileadjective & noun1
Factsheet
What does the word utile mean?
There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the word utile. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the word utile?
About 0.3occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 0.88 |
| 1760 | 0.83 |
| 1770 | 0.81 |
| 1780 | 0.74 |
| 1790 | 0.73 |
| 1800 | 0.75 |
| 1810 | 0.75 |
| 1820 | 0.72 |
| 1830 | 0.68 |
| 1840 | 0.64 |
| 1850 | 0.55 |
| 1860 | 0.49 |
| 1870 | 0.44 |
| 1880 | 0.4 |
| 1890 | 0.35 |
| 1900 | 0.31 |
| 1910 | 0.31 |
| 1920 | 0.3 |
| 1930 | 0.3 |
| 1940 | 0.34 |
| 1950 | 0.36 |
| 1960 | 0.35 |
| 1970 | 0.35 |
| 1980 | 0.31 |
| 1990 | 0.26 |
| 2000 | 0.23 |
| 2010 | 0.2 |
How is the word utile pronounced?
British English
/ˈjuːtʌɪl/
YOO-tighl
/ˈjuːtᵻli/
YOO-tuh-lee
U.S. English
/ˈjudl/
YOO-duhl
/ˈjuˌtaɪl/
YOO-tighl
Where does the word utile come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the word utile is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for utile is from around 1483, in a translation by William Caxton, printer, merchant, and diplomat.
utile is of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: French utile; Latin ūtile, ūtilis.
Nearby entries
- uterotomy, n.1846–
- utero-tractor, n.1890–
- utero-vaginal, adj.1856–
- utero-vesical, adj.1822–
- uterus, n.1615–
- uthappam, n.1976–
- uthe, n.c1478
- uþwite, n.Old English–1175
- utible, adj.1623–1711
- utile, n.²1956–
- utile, adj. & n.¹?1483–
- Utilidor, n.1957–
- utilious, adj.1652
- utilitarian, n. & adj.1781–
- utilitarianism, n.1827–
- utilitarianist, n.1882–
- utilitarianize, v.1852–
- utilitarianly, adv.1878–
- utility, n.c1400–
- utility actor, n.1860–
- utility area, n.1969–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for utile, adj. & n.¹
utile, adj. & n.¹ was revised in December 2019.
utile, adj. & n.¹ was last modified in July 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into utile, adj. & n.¹ in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1926)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for utile, adj. & n.¹
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- uterotomy, n.1846–
- utero-tractor, n.1890–
- utero-vaginal, adj.1856–
- utero-vesical, adj.1822–
- uterus, n.1615–
- uthappam, n.1976–
- uthe, n.c1478
- uþwite, n.Old English–1175
- utible, adj.1623–1711
- utile, n.²1956–
- utile, adj. & n.¹?1483–
- Utilidor, n.1957–
- utilious, adj.1652
- utilitarian, n. & adj.1781–
- utilitarianism, n.1827–
- utilitarianist, n.1882–
- utilitarianize, v.1852–
- utilitarianly, adv.1878–
- utility, n.c1400–
- utility actor, n.1860–
- utility area, n.1969–
