brotlos

German

Etymology

Brot (“bread”) +‎ -los (“-less”)

Pronunciation
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Adjective

brotlos (strong nominative masculine singular brotloser, comparative brotloser, superlative am brotlosesten)

  1. (literally) breadless
  2. (figurative) inviable, unsustainable, unable to sustain oneself
    brotlose Kunst ― unprofitable craft
    • 1848, Friedrich Engels, Die Lage der arbeitenden Klasse in England [The Condition of the Working Class in England], page 168:
      Diese Vermehrung der Spindelzahl an der Mule ist aber so bedeutend, daß dadurch ganze Schaaren[sic] von Arbeitern brotlos geworden sind; […]
      But this increase in the number of spindles at the mule is so significant that it has left whole hosts of workers without a livelihood; […]

Further reading
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