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never-do-well

noun
/ˈnɛv.ə.duːˌwɛl/UK/ˈnɛv.əɹ.duˌwɛl/CA/ˈnev.ə.dʉːˌwel/

Etymology

From never (adverb) + do (verb) + well (adverb). First attested in 1664.

  1. derived from *welH-✻ — “to turn; wind; roll”
  2. inherited from *wallijǭ✻ — “well, swirl, wave”
  3. inherited from *wallijā✻
  4. inherited from wielle — “well”
  5. inherited from welle
  6. compounded as never-do-well — “never + do + well”

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of ne'er-do-well.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for never-do-well. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA