ἄκαρπ-ος G0175
Unfruitful, barren; producing no useful result, whether literally of plants or figuratively of persons and deeds.
An adjective meaning 'without fruit' — barren, unproductive, fruitless. It combines the privative prefix 'a-' with 'karpos' (fruit) to describe anything that fails to yield results. Jesus uses it in the Parable of the Sower where thorny distractions render the word 'unfruitful' (Matt 13:22; Mark 4:19). Paul applies it to unintelligible prayer where the mind is 'unfruitful' (1 Cor 14:14) and to 'the unfruitful works of darkness' (Eph 5:11). Spanish 'sin fruto' and French 'sans fruit' mirror the Greek morphology precisely — literally 'without fruit.'
Senses
1. unfruitful, barren — Lacking fruit or productive outcome, whether in a literal botanical sense or in the pervasive NT metaphorical usage denoting spiritual or moral barrenness. The morphological transparency is preserved across translations: Spanish 'sin fruto,' French 'sans fruit,' German 'fruchtlos' all replicate the privative structure. In Matt 13:22 and Mark 4:19, worldly cares choke the seed and make it unfruitful; in Eph 5:11 Paul urges believers not to participate in 'the unfruitful works of darkness'; in Titus 3:14 the concern is that believers not be 'unfruitful' in good works. The literal/metaphorical boundary is fluid but the core meaning — absence of productive result — is constant. 7×
amh["ፍሬ-የሌላቸው"]·AR["الغَيرِ-مُثمِرَةِ", "بلا-ثمر", "بِدونِ-ثَمَرٍ", "بِلا ثَمَرٍ", "بِلا-ثَمَرٍ", "بِلَا-ثَمَرٍ", "غَيرَ-مُثمِرينَ"]·ben["নিষ্ফল", "ফলহীন"]·ces["bez-ovoce"]·dan["frugtløse,"]·DE["fruchtlose", "ἀκάρποις", "ἀκάρπους", "ἄκαρποι", "ἄκαρπος", "ἄκαρπός"]·ell["άκαρπα,"]·EN["fruitless", "unfruitful"]·FR["sans-fruit", "sans-fruit,"]·guj["ફળ-વગરનાં,"]·hat["san-fwi"]·hau["marasa-'ya'ya"]·heb["בְּלִי-פְּרִי", "הַלֹּא-פוֹרִיים", "לְלֹא-פְּרִי", "לֹא-פּוֹרִים", "ללא-פרי", "עֲקָר", "עֲקָרִים"]·HI["निशफल", "निशशहल.", "निष्फल", "फलहीन"]·hun["gyümölcstelen"]·ID["tanpa-buah", "tidak-berbuah", "tidak-berbuah."]·IT["akarpoi", "akarpois", "akarpous", "infruttuoso", "senza-frutto"]·jav["tanpa-woh", "tanpa-woh."]·JA["実のない"]·KO["열매-없게", "열매-없느니라", "열매-없는", "열매-없는-자가", "열매-없는-자들", "열매-없는-자들이"]·mar["फळविरहित,"]·mya["အသီးမဲ့သော"]·nld["zonder-vrucht"]·nor["fruktløse"]·pnb["بے-پھل"]·pol["bezowocne"]·PT["infrutuosas", "infrutífera", "infrutífero", "infrutíferos", "infrutíferos.", "sem-fruto"]·ron["fără-rod,"]·RU["бесплоден", "бесплодные", "бесплодным", "бесплодными", "бесплодных"]·ES["sin-fruto"]·SW["bila-matunda", "haina-tunda", "yasiyo-na-matunda", "yasiyozaa"]·swe["fruktlösa"]·tam["கனியில்லாத"]·tel["ఫలములేని"]·tgl["walang-bunga"]·TH["ไร้ผล"]·TR["karanligi", "meyvesiz", "meyvesiz,", "meyvesiz."]·ukr["безплідні"]·urd["بے-پھل", "بےپھل"]·VI["không-trái"]·yor["aláìní-èso,"]·yue["無果-嘅"]·ZH["无果的"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἄκαρπ-ος, ον, without fruit, barren, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἄ. ξύλον, ={ἀκακία}, LXX+2nd c.AD+ __2 metaphorically, fruitless, unprofitable, πόνοςRefs 5th c.BC+. adverb -πωςRefs 5th c.BC+ __II active, making barren, Refs 4th c.BC+