utile — a seldom-used English adjective meaning “useful”

útil — the Spanish cognate of the same meaning and the only adjective in Spanish (that I’m aware of) that means “useful”

This cognate pair was unknown to me while I was teaching. In fact, until about ten minutes ago I didn’t even know the word “utile” existed in English. This post was going to be about the word “inutility” and its Spanish cognate of “inutilidad,” but while researching the word “inutility,” I came upon “inutile,” and I was gobsmacked, to say the least.

During all those 30 years in which I taught Spanish, the words “útil” and “inútil” were basic vocabulary words that ALWAYS translated to “useful” and “useless.” I’d typically help my students learn the meanings of these words by pointing out how “useful” a “utility” knife is, or something else to that effect, but, because I’d never ever ever ever seen or heard the words “utile” or “inutile” in English, I didn’t even think to look for them. Quite clearly, they are almost exact cognates of the Spanish words.

As I’ve said here before, in situations like this, it would behoove native English speakers to learn the Spanish words AND their English cognates — thus increasing their lexicons in two languages. It’s also soooooo much easier to recall that the Spanish word “útil” means “utile” in English and vice versa!!!

Spanish textbooks should teach “útil” to mean “utile” in English and “inútil” to mean “inutile” and should include the words’ etymology and other related words we use in English, such as “utility,” “utilize,” and “utilitarianism.”

As adults, we have to pay the “utility” bill every month. It’s that bill that takes a lot of our paycheck, but it’s also the one that reflects our “usage” of things like electricity, water, gas, etc. That’s essentially what “utility” means — something designed for use or usage. If we “utilize” something, we “use” it.

I’d never given much thought to the opposite of the word “utility.'“ We have the word “useful” and its opposite of “useless,” and I now know we also have “utile” and “inutile,” but until I read “The House of the Seven Gables” by Nathaniel Hawthorne recently, I didn’t know we also have the word “inutility” even though it makes perfect sense that we would.

He used it in this sentence: “The inutility of her best efforts, however, palsied the poor old gentlewoman.”

Granted, Hawthorne wrote this in the mid-1800s and his writing is full of somewhat antiquated (yet interesting) words. However, knowing the Spanish word of “inútil” helped me to immediately understand that “inutility” — a word I’d never seen before — meant “uselessness,” but I was quite surprised to see that this word, when I looked it up on merriam-webster.com meant “inutile.” “Inutile!!!” The English cognate of a Spanish word that I knew very well. I grew up speaking English, so why did I know the Spanish word very well yet the English word not at all?

Frustrating, to say the least.

Once I came upon “inutile” I immediately went in search of “utile,” and lo and behold, I found it. That’s when I changed the cognate duo for this post from “inutility” and “inutilidad” to “utile” and “útil.”

Knowing these words is quite useful!

Shakespeare coined the word “useful” in his play “King Lear.” Prior to that, we English speakers used the word “utile!!!” Damnit, Shakespeare! If you hadn’t interfered with your creativity, I would have known the word “utile” all this time.

We took the word “utile” from Latin, and Spanish, naturally, took “útil” from that Language, too. The other Romance languages also use either “utile” or “útil” as well — pronounced according to how they pronounce their vowels, etc., of course.

Another word for something that is “inutile” or “useless” or for something that serves no “utile” or “useful” purpose is “futile.” You see that lovely word “utile” right there, only changed by the initial “f.” We “f”-d up it’s usefulness and made in non-utile. It is now “futile.”

You know what’s not “futile?” Having awesome cognate cognizance! Not only does it enhance your vocabulary in more than one language, but it definitely enhances your reading, especially when tackling any classic piece of literature.

Thus, thanks to Hawthorne, I now know “utile” and “inutile.” Perhaps it’s time for these words to make a comeback in English. In Modern English, I should say.

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Tammy Marshall

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