mateotechny

/ˈmeɪ.ti.əʊˌtɛk.ni/

mateotechny means any unprofitable scheme. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

mateotechny is pronounced /ˈmeɪ.ti.əʊˌtɛk.ni/.

Why “mateotechny” is a great word

A vain or unprofitable art, science, or scheme. From Ancient Greek ματαιοτεχνία (mataiotekhnía), from μάταιος (mátaios, "vain") + τέχνη (tékhnē, "art, science"). Unlike technology, which denotes the applied, practical arts that yield useful results, or utilitarianism, a philosophy wholly bent on benefit, mateotechny is the pursuit of knowledge for its own beautifully barren sake. It is the perfect geometry of a sandcastle built below the tide line, the lifelong study of a language spoken only by the scholar, and the intricate clockwork mechanism designed solely to extinguish its own candle—a testament to the human compulsion to build where nothing can endure, the quiet tragedy of a beautiful, useless thought.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ματαιοτεχνία (mataiotekhnía), from μάταιος (mátaios, “vain”) + τέχνη (tékhnē, “art, science”).

noun

Any unprofitable scheme.