英语词源

• penny 英文词源 penny penny: [OE] Penny comes from a prehistoric Germanic * panninggaz , which also produced German pfennig and Dutch and Swedish penning . It has been speculated that this was derived from * pand - ‘pledge, security’, which also produced English pawn – in which case it would denote etymologically a ‘coin used in transactions involving the pledging of a sum as security’. = p
• pest 英文词源 pest (n.) 1550s (in imprecations, "a pest upon ____," etc.), "plague, pestilence," from Middle French peste (1530s), from Latin pestis "deadly contagious disease; a curse, bane," of uncertain origin. Meaning "noxious or troublesome person or thing" first recorded c. 1600. 中文词源 pest ：害虫，讨厌的人 在几个世纪以前人们一提到pest往往谈虎色变。该词原指
• pester 英文词源 pester (v.) 1520s, "to clog, entangle, encumber," probably a shortening of Middle French empestrer "place in an embarrassing situation" (Modern French empêtrer , Walloon epasturer ), from Vulgar Latin *impastoriare "to hobble" (an animal), from Latin im- "in" + Medieval Latin pastoria (chorda) "(rope) to hobble an animal," from Latin pastoria , fem. of pastorius "of a herdsman," from
• photostat 英文词源 photostat (n.) 1909, a type of copying machine (trademark Commercial Camera Company, Providence, R.I.) whose name became a generic noun and verb (1914) for "photocopy;" from photo- + stat . 中文词源 photostat ：直接影印机，影印本 照相复制印刷技术大约源于1912年亡Photostat原为直接影印机的注册商标名，由源自希腊语的两个组合语素photo-（
• poinsettia 英文词源 poinsettia (n.) from the genus name (1836), Modern Latin, in recognition of Joel R. Poinsett (1779-1851), U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who is said to have brought the plant to the attention of botanists, + abstract noun ending -ia . 中文词源 poinsettia ：一品红 此花原产墨西哥和中美洲。19世纪20年代末出任美国驻墨西哥公使的Joel R．Poinsett (1779 - 1851)发
• plumb 英文词源 plumb plumb: [13] Plumb comes via Old French * plombe from Latin plumbum ‘lead’, a word of uncertain origin. Of its modern English uses, the verbal ‘sound the depths’ comes from the use of a line weighted with lead (a plumb line ) to measure the depth of water and the adverbial ‘exactly’ from the use of a similar line to determine verticality. Related words in English incl
• pointblank 英文词源 No matching word found in the dictionary. Word of Random crank crank: [OE] There appears to be a link between the words crank , cringe , and crinkle . They share the meaning element ‘bending’ or ‘curling up’ (which later developed metaphorically into ‘becoming weak or sick’, as in the related German krank ‘ill’), and probably all came from a prehistoric Germanic base *
• polo 英文词源 polo polo: [19] In Balti, a Tibetan language of northern Kashmir, polo means ‘ball’. English travellers in Kashmir in the 1840s observed a game being played on horseback which involved trying to knock a wooden polo into a goal using a longhandled mallet. The English sahibs lost no time in taking the game up themselves, and by 1871 it was being played back home in England, under th
• posthumous 英文词源 posthumous posthumous: [17] Latin postumus functioned as a superlative form of post ‘after’, and meant ‘last of all’. It was often applied to a child ‘born after the death of its father’, as being the final offspring that man could possibly have, and so began to pick up associations with the ‘period after death’. This led in turn to the perception of a link with humus ‘
• postman 英文词源 postman (n.) 1520s, from post (n.3) + man (n.). 中文词源 postman ：邮递员 今天的postman谁都知道指的是“邮递员”，英国最早的 postman乃是骑驿马的王室信使(royal courier who rode post)。post意指“驿站”或“驿马”，每一驿站均备有供替换的马和接替人员，以确保国王的旨意传递到各地。这些骑马信使以后逐渐改
• primrose 英文词源 primrose (n.) late 14c., prymrose , from Old French primerose , primerole (12c.) and directly from Medieval Latin prima rosa , literally "first rose," so called because it blooms early in spring (see prime (adj.)). As the name of a pale yellow color, by 1844. Parallel name primula (c. 1100) is from Old French primerole , from Medieval Latin primula "primrose," shortened from primula v
• propaganda 英文词源 propaganda propaganda: [18] English gets the word propaganda from the term Propaganda Fide , the name of a Roman Catholic organization charged with the spreading of the gospel. This meant literally ‘propagating the faith’, prōpāgānda being the feminine gerundive of Latin prōpāgāre , source of English propagate [16]. Originally prōpāgāre was a botanical verb, as its Englis
• psychology 英文词源 psychology (n.) 1650s, "study of the soul," from Modern Latin psychologia , probably coined mid-16c. in Germany by Melanchthon from Latinized form of Greek psykhe- "breath, spirit, soul" (see psyche ) + logia "study of" (see -logy ). Meaning "study of the mind" first recorded 1748, from Christian Wolff's "Psychologia empirica" (1732); main modern behavioral sense is from early 1890s. 中
• pupa 英文词源 pupa (n.) "post-larval stage of an insect," 1773, special use by Linnæus (1758) of Latin pupa "girl, doll, puppet" (see pupil (n.1)) on notion of "undeveloped creature." Related: Pupal ; pupiform . 中文词源 pupa ：蛹 pupa本是拉丁语，意为“女孩”、“洋娃娃”。1758年瑞典博物学家林奈（Linnaeus，1707 - 1778）把它当作术语来用，指“蛹”。林
• Pegasus 英文词源 Pegasus winged horse in Greek mythology, late 14c., from Latin, from Greek Pegasos , usually said to be from pege "fountain, spring; a well fed by a spring" (plural pegai ), especially in "springs of Ocean," near which Medusa was said to have been killed by Perseus (Pegasus sprang from her blood). But this may be folk etymology, and the ending of the word indicates non-Greek origin. A
• pseudo- 英文词源 pseudo- often before vowels pseud- , word-forming element meaning "false; feigned; erroneous; in appearance only; resembling," from Greek pseudo- , comb. form of pseudes "false, lying; falsely; deceived," or pseudos "falsehood, untruth, a lie," both from pseudein "to deceive, cheat by lies." Productive in compound formation in ancient Greek (such as pseudodidaskalos "false teacher," p
• poly- 英文词源 poly- word-forming element meaning "many, much, multi-, one or more," from Greek poly- , combining form of polys "much" (plural polloi ); cognate with Latin plus , from PIE root *pele- (1) "to fill," with derivatives referring to multitudinousness or abundance (cognates: Sanskrit purvi "much," prayah "mostly;" Avestan perena- , Old Persian paru "much;" Greek plethos "people, multitude
• pan- 英文词源 pan- word-forming element meaning "all, every, whole, all-inclusive," from Greek pan- , combining form of pas (neuter pan , masculine and neuter genitive pantos ) "all," from PIE *pant- "all" (with derivatives found only in Greek and Tocharian). Commonly used as a prefix in Greek, in modern times often with nationality names, the first example of which seems to have been Panslavism (1
• paleo- 英文词源 paleo- before vowels pale- word-forming element used in scientific combinations (mostly since c. 1870) meaning "ancient, early, prehistoric, primitive," from Latinized form of Greek palaios "old, ancient," from palai "long ago, far back," related to palin "again, backwards," tele- "far off, at a distance," from PIE root *kwel- (2) "far" in space and time" (see tele- ). 中文词源 pa
• proto- 英文词源 proto- before vowels prot- , word-forming element meaning "first, source, parent, preceding, earliest form, original, basic," from Greek proto- , from protos "first," from PIE *pre- , from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per ). 中文词源 proto- ：原始，最初 前缀pro- 的最高级形式。-to, 表示最高级。见prototype, protein. 备注：比较上述前缀for-, fo
• pro- 英文词源 pro- word-forming element meaning "forward, forth, toward the front" (as in proclaim , proceed ); "beforehand, in advance" ( prohibit , provide ); "taking care of" ( procure ); "in place of, on behalf of" ( proconsul , pronoun ); from Latin pro "on behalf of, in place of, before, for, in exchange for, just as," which also was used as a prefix. Also in some cases from cognate Greek pro
• pre- 英文词源 pre- word-forming element meaning "before," from Old French pre- and Medieval Latin pre- , both from Latin prae (adverb and preposition) "before in time or place," from PIE *peri- (cognates: Oscan prai , Umbrian pre , Sanskrit pare "thereupon," Greek parai "at," Gaulish are- "at, before," Lithuanian pre "at," Old Church Slavonic pri "at," Gothic faura , Old English fore "before"), ext
• por- 英文词源 fare (v.) Old English faran "to journey, set forth, go, travel, wander, make one's way," also "be, happen, exist; be in a particular condition," from Proto-Germanic *faran "to go" (cognates: Old Saxon, Old High German, Gothic faran , Old Norse and Old Frisian fara , Dutch varen , German fahren ), from PIE *por- "going, passage," from root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over" (see port (n.1)
• per- 英文词源 per- word-forming element meaning "through, throughout; thoroughly; entirely, utterly," from Latin preposition per (see per (prep.)). 中文词源 per- ：穿过，持续，整个的，完全的 来自PIE *per, 向前，穿过，词源同单词for. 见perfect, persist. 该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版： per- 词源， per- 含义。 per- ：通过，完全的，整个
• peri- 英文词源 peri- word-forming element meaning "around, about, enclosing," from Greek peri (prep.) "around, about, beyond," cognate with Sanskrit pari "around, about, through," Latin per , from PIE *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per ). 中文词源 peri- ：旁边，周围 来自PIE *per, 向前，穿过，词源同单词for. 见perimeter, period. 该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文
• para- 英文词源 para- (1) before vowels, par- , word-forming element meaning "alongside, beyond; altered; contrary; irregular, abnormal," from Greek para- from para (prep.) "beside, near, issuing from, against, contrary to," from PIE *prea , from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per ). Cognate with Old English for- "off, away." para- (2) word-forming element meaning "defense, protection against
• post- 英文词源 post- word-forming element meaning "after," from Latin post "behind, after, afterward," from *pos-ti (cognates: Arcadian pos , Doric poti "toward, to, near, close by;" Old Church Slavonic po "behind, after," pozdu "late;" Lithuanian pas "at, by"), from PIE *apo- (cognates: Greek apo "from," Latin ab "away from" see apo- ). 中文词源 post- ：在后 来自PIE *apo, 从，从...离开，
• patch 英文词源 patch patch: see piece patch (v.) mid-15c., from patch (n.1). Electronics sense of "to connect temporarily" is attested from 1923. Related: Patched ; patching . patch (n.1) "piece of cloth used to mend another material," late 14c., of obscure origin, perhaps a variant of pece , pieche , from Old North French pieche (see piece (n.)), or from an unrecorded Old English word (but Old Engl
• philistine 英文词源 philistine philistine: [16] The original Philistines were inhabitants of Philistia, an area in the southwestern corner of ancient Palestine. They were famed for their aggression and harrying tactics, and so the word Philistine was often used metaphorically for an ‘enemy into whose hands one might fall’, but the notion of a Philistine as a ‘boorish person’ is a comparatively re
• Pygmalion 英文词源 Pygmalion also the Pygmalion word , a British euphemistic substitute for bloody in mid-20c. from its notorious use in Bernard Shaw's play of the same name (1914: "Walk? Not bloody likely!"). The Greek legend of the sculptor/goldsmith and the beautiful statue he made and wished to life, is centered on Cyprus and his name might ultimately be Phoenician. 中文词源 Pygmalion （皮格马
• python 英文词源 python python: [19] The original Python was a fabulous serpent said to have been hatched from the mud of Deucalion’s flood (Deucalion was the Greek counterpart of Noah) and slain by Apollo near Delphi in ancient Greece. Its name, in Greek Pūthōn , may be related to Pūthó , an old name for Delphi; and that in turn, it has been speculated, may derive from púthein ‘rot’, as th
• psych- 英文词源 No matching word found in the dictionary. Word of Random vocation vocation: [15] A vocation is etymologically a ‘calling’. The word comes via Old French vocation from Latin vocātiō . This was derived from the verb vocāre ‘call’, which came from the same base as vōx ‘voice’ (source of English vocal , voice , etc). Also from vocāre come convoke [16], evoke [17], invoke
• plumber 英文词源 plumber (n.) late 14c. (from c. 1100 as a surname), "a worker in any sort of lead" (roofs, gutters, pipes), from Old French plomier "lead-smelter" (Modern French plombier ) and directly from Latin plumbarius "worker in lead," noun use of adjective meaning "pertaining to lead," from plumbum "lead" (see plumb (n.)). Meaning focused 19c. on "workman who installs pipes and fittings" as le
• paparazzo 英文词源 paparazzo (n.) see paparazzi . 中文词源 paparazzo （狗仔队）：电影《甜蜜生活》中一名专门偷拍名人隐私的记者 “狗仔队”在英语中称为paparazzo，复数形式为paparazzi。该词源自1960年意大利导演费德里科•费里尼（Federico Fellini）的电影作品《甜蜜生活》（La Dolce Vita）中的一个人物角色的名字。在电影中
• Phoenicia 英文词源 Phoenicia "An ancient country on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean, corresponding to modern Lebanon and the coastal plains of Syria. It consisted of a number of city states, including Tyre and Sidon, and was a flourishing centre of Mediterranean trade and colonization during the early part of the 1st millennium bc", From Latin, from Greek Phoinikē . 中文词源 Phoenicia （腓尼
• purple 英文词源 purple purple: [OE] Greek porphúrā , a word of Semitic origin, denoted a sort of shellfish from which a reddish dye was obtained (known as Tyrian purple , because it was produced around Tyre, in what is now Lebanon, it was highly prized in ancient times, and used for dyeing royal garments). It hence came to be used for the dye itself, and for cloth coloured with it, and it passed in
• pencil 英文词源 pencil pencil: [14] Etymologically, a pencil is a ‘little penis’. It originally denoted a ‘paintbrush’ – the current sense ‘writing implement filled with a graphite rod’ did not emerge until the 17th century – and came via Old French pincel from Vulgar Latin * pēnicellum , an alteration of Latin pēnicillum ‘paintbrush’. This was a diminutive form of pēniculus ‘
• pajama 英文词源 pajama see pajamas . 中文词源 pajama （睡裤）：印度、波斯人穿的宽松裤子 英语单词pajama（美式英语写为pyjama）是个地道的外来词，来自印地语pajama，而后者来自波斯语paejamah，由pae（leg）+jamah（clothing）构成，字面意思就是“leg clothing”，即“裤子”的意思，指的是印度、波斯等人常穿的一种宽松裤
• patent 英文词源 patent patent: [14] Etymologically, patent means simply ‘open’. Its ultimate source is patēns , the present participle of the Latin verb patēre ‘be open’ (a relative of English fathom and petal ). It was used particularly in the term letters patent , which denoted an ‘open letter’, particularly an official one which gave some particular authorization, injunction, etc. It
• pedigree 英文词源 pedigree pedigree: [15] Etymologically, pedigree means ‘crane’s-foot’. It comes from Anglo-Norman * pe de gru , pe meaning ‘foot’ (from Latin pēs ) and gru ‘crane’ (from Latin grūs ). The notion behind the metaphor is that a bird’s foot, with its three splayed-out toes, resembles the branching lines drawn to illustrate a family tree. = crane , geranium pedigree (n.)
• phony 英文词源 phony (adj.) also phoney , "not genuine," 1899, perhaps an alteration of fawney "gilt brass ring used by swindlers." His most successful swindle was selling "painted" or "phony" diamonds. He had a plan of taking cheap stones, and by "doctoring" them make them have a brilliant and high class appearance. His confederates would then take the diamonds to other pawnbrokers and dispose of t
• platonic 英文词源 Platonic (adj.) 1530s, "of or pertaining to Greek philosopher Plato " (429 B.C.E.-c. 347 B.C.E.), from Latin Platonicus , from Greek Platonikos . The name is Greek Platon , properly "broad-shouldered" (from platys "broad;" see plaice (n.)). His original name was Aristocles. The meaning "love free of sensual desire" (1630s), which the word usually carries nowadays, is a Renaissance not
• patron 英文词源 patron patron: [14] Patron is one of a large group of English words descended from pater , the Latin member of the Indo-European family of ‘father’- words (which also includes English father ). Among the others are paternal [17], paternity [15], paternoster [OE] (literally ‘our father’), patrician [15], and patrimony [14]. Patron itself comes from Latin patrōnus , a derivativ
• pagan 英文词源 pagan pagan: [14] The history of pagan is a bizarre series of semantic twists and turns that takes it back ultimately to Latin pāgus (source also of English peasant ). This originally meant ‘something stuck in the ground as a landmark’ (it came from a base * pāg - ‘fix’ which also produced English page , pale ‘stake’, and pole ‘stick’ and is closely related to pact a
• pavilion 英文词源 pavilion pavilion: [13] Pavilion got its name because some anonymous ancient Roman was reminded by a tent, with its two ‘wings’ spread out from a central crosspiece, of a ‘butterfly’. Latin for ‘butterfly’ was pāpiliō (a word of unknown origin), which hence came to be used for ‘tent’. English acquired it via Old French pavillon . pavilion (n.) c. 1200, "large, statel
• peculiar 英文词源 peculiar peculiar: [15] The etymological notion underlying peculiar is of ‘not being shared with others’, of being ‘one’s own alone’. It was borrowed from Latin pecūliāris ‘of private property’, a derivative of pecūlium ‘private property’, which in turn was based on pecus ‘cattle’, hence ‘wealth’ (source also of English pecuniary [16]). (A parallel semanti
• piano 英文词源 piano piano: [19] Piano is short for pianoforte [18], a term borrowed from Italian which means literally ‘softloud’. It was a lexicalization of an epithet ( piano e forte ‘soft and loud’) applied in the early 18th century to a new sort of harpsichord whose volume could be varied by the use of dampers. Italian piano itself is descended from Latin plānus ‘flat, even’, later
• political 英文词源 political (adj.) 1550s, "pertaining to a polity, civil affairs, or government;" from Latin politicus "of citizens or the state" (see politic (adj.)) + -al (1). Meaning "taking sides in party politics" (usually pejorative) is from 1749. Political prisoner first recorded 1860; political science is from 1779 (first attested in Hume). Political animal translates Greek politikon zoon (Aris
• portfolio 英文词源 portfolio portfolio: see port portfolio (n.) 1722, porto folio ; 1719 as port folio , from Italian portafoglio "a case for carrying loose papers," from porta, imperative of portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)) + foglio "sheet, leaf," from Latin folium (see folio ). Meaning "official documents of a state department" is from 1835. A minister without portfolio is one not in charge of a pa
• prince 英文词源 prince prince: [13] A prince is etymologically someone who ‘takes first place’, hence a ‘leader’. The word comes via Old French prince from Latin princeps , a compound formed from prīmus ‘first’ (source of English prime ) and capere ‘take’ (source of English captive , capture , etc). (German fürst ‘prince’ was derived from Old High German furist ‘first’, appa
• paragon 英文词源 paragon paragon: [16] When we say someone is a ‘paragon of virtue’ – a perfect example of virtue, able to stand comparison with any other – we are unconsciously using the long-dead metaphor of ‘sharpening’ them against others. The word comes via archaic French paragon and Italian paragone from medieval Greek parakónē ‘sharpening stone, whetstone’. Thīs was a derivat
• post 英文词源 post post: Including the prefix post -, English has four different words post . The oldest, ‘long upright piece of wood, metal, etc’ [OE], was borrowed from Latin postis . From it was derived the verb post ‘fix to a post’, which in turn produced poster [19], denoting a placard that can be ‘posted’ up. Post ‘mail’ [16] comes via French poste and Italian posta from Vulga
• precarious 英文词源 precarious precarious: [17] Precarious comes from Latin precārius (source also of English prayer ), which meant ‘obtained by asking or praying’. It was originally used in English as a legal term, in which ‘obtained by asking’ had undergone a slight change in focus to ‘held through the favour of another’. This introduced the notion that the favour might be withdrawn, and t
• prestige 英文词源 prestige prestige: [17] As opponents of semantic change are fond of pointing out, prestige once meant ‘trick, illusion’, and its use until the 19th century was usually derogatory. It comes via French prestige from Latin praestigiae ‘illusions produced by a conjurer or juggler’, an alteration of an unrecorded * praestrigiae . This would have been a derivative of praestringere ‘
• poll 英文词源 poll poll: [13] ‘Head’ is the original and central meaning of poll , from which all its modern uses have derived. The ‘voting’ sort of poll , for instance, which emerged in the 17th century, is etymologically a counting of ‘heads’, and the poll tax is a ‘per capita’ tax. The verb poll originally meant ‘cut someone’s hair’, a clear extension of the notion of ‘to
• pedagogue 英文词源 pedagogue pedagogue: see page pedagogue (n.) late 14c., "schoolmaster, teacher," from Old French pedagoge "teacher of children" (14c.), from Latin paedagogus , from Greek paidagogos "slave who escorts boys to school and generally supervises them," later "a teacher," from pais (genitive paidos ) "child" (see pedo- ) + agogos "leader," from agein "to lead" (see act (n.)). Hostile implic
• pupil 英文词源 pupil pupil: [14] Latin pūpus and pūpa meant respectively ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ ( pūpa was applied by the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus to ‘chrysalises’, the underlying link being ‘undeveloped creature’, and English adopted it as pupa [19]). The diminutive derivatives pūpillus and pūpilla denoted ‘orphan’, a sense which remained with pūpill - as it passed via Old Fr
• pineapple 英文词源 pineapple (n.) late 14c., "pine cone," from pine (n.) + apple . The reference to the fruit of the tropical plant (from resemblance of shape) is first recorded 1660s, and pine cone emerged 1690s to replace pineapple in its original sense except in dialect. For "pine cone," Old English also used pinhnyte "pine nut." 中文词源 pineapple （菠萝）：形似松果的热带水果 在古代
• parasite 英文词源 parasite (n.) 1530s, "a hanger-on, a toady, person who lives on others," from Middle French parasite (16c.) or directly from Latin parasitus "toady, sponger," and directly from Greek parasitos "one who lives at another's expense, person who eats at the table of another," from noun use of an adjective meaning "feeding beside," from para- "beside" (see para- (1)) + sitos "food," of unkn
• park 英文词源 park park: [13] The origins of park are Germanic. It goes back to a prehistoric Germanic base, meaning ‘enclosed place’, which has also given English paddock . This reached English by direct descent, but park took a route via medieval Latin. Here it was parricus , which passed into English via Old French parc . The verbal use of park , for ‘place a vehicle’, began to emerge in
• perfume 英文词源 perfume perfume: [16] The - fume of perfume is the same word as English fumes , but whereas fumes has gone downhill semantically, perfume has remained in the realms of pleasant odours. It comes from French parfum , a derivative of the verb parfumer . This was borrowed from early Italian parfumare , a compound formed from the prefix par - ‘through’ and fumare ‘smoke’, which den
• protocol 英文词源 protocol protocol: [16] Protocol originally denoted an ‘official record of a transaction’. Not until the end of the 19th century, as a reborrowing from French, did it come to be used for ‘rules of etiquette’ (the semantic link is an intermediate sense ‘draft of a treaty or other diplomatic document’, which led to its use in French for the ‘department in charge of diploma
• parachute 英文词源 parachute (n.) 1784 (the year the use of one first was attempted, in Paris), from French parachute , literally "that which protects against a fall," hybrid coined by French aeronaut François Blanchard (1753-1809) from para- "defense against" (see para- (2)) + chute "a fall" (see chute ). PARACHUTE, a kind of large and strong umbrella, contrived to break a person's fall from an airbal
• potluck 英文词源 potluck (n.) also pot-luck , 1590s, from pot (n.1) + luck ; with notion of "one's luck or chance as to what may be in the pot." As an adjective from 1775. 中文词源 potluck （百乐餐）：不速之客所吃的家常便饭 据说，过去一家人从一个大锅（pot）里吃菜。如果来了不速之客，来不及另外做菜，就只能吃这锅菜，客人的口福要看运气
• province 英文词源 province (n.) early 14c., "country, territory, region," from Old French province "province, part of a country; administrative region for friars" (13c.) and directly from Latin provincia "territory outside Italy under Roman domination," also "a public office; public duty," of uncertain origin, usually explained as pro- "before" + vincere "to conquer" (see victor ); but this does not su
• patrician 英文词源 patrician patrician: see patron patrician (n.) early 15c., "member of the ancient Roman noble order," from Middle French patricien , from Latin patricius "of the rank of the nobles, of the senators; of fatherly dignity," from patres conscripti "Roman senators," literally "fathers," plural of pater "father" (see father (n.)). Contrasted, in ancient Rome, with plebeius . Applied to nobl
• peer 英文词源 peer peer: see pair , pore peer (n.) c. 1300, "an equal in rank or status" (early 13c. in Anglo-Latin), from Anglo-French peir , Old French per (10c.), from Latin par "equal" (see par (n.)). Sense of "a noble" (late 14c.) is from Charlemagne's Twelve Peers in the old romances, who, like the Arthurian knights of the Round Table, originally were so called because all were equal. Sociolo
• plebeian 英文词源 plebeian plebeian: [16] The plēbs were the ‘common people’ of ancient Rome (the word may connected with Greek pléthos ‘multitude’, a relative of English plethora ). English gets plebeian from its derived adjective plēbēius . The connotations of ‘lower-classness’ have been transferred from ancient Rome to the present day, and inspired the derogatory pleb [19]. A plebisc
• prefect 英文词源 prefect (n.) mid-14c., "civil or military official," from Old French prefect (12c., Modern French préfet ) and directly from Latin praefectus "public overseer, superintendent, director," noun use of past participle of praeficere "to put in front, to set over, put in authority," from prae "in front, before" (see pre- ) + root of facere (past participle factus ) "to perform" (see facti
• pharisaical 英文词源 pharisaic (adj.) 1610s, from Church Latin pharisaicus , from Greek pharisaikos , from pharisaios (see Pharisee ). Related: Pharisaical (1530s). 中文词源 pharisaical （伪善的）：伪善的法利赛人 法利赛人（Pharisee）是古代犹太人中的一个教派，在耶稣在世期间是犹太人社会中占据主导地位，把持了祭司等宗教职位。“法利赛”在希
• program 英文词源 program (n.) 1630s, "public notice," from Late Latin programma "proclamation, edict," from Greek programma "a written public notice," from stem of prographein "to write publicly," from pro- "forth" (see pro- ) + graphein "to write" (see -graphy ). General sense of "a definite plan or scheme" is recorded from 1837. Meaning "list of pieces at a concert, playbill" first recorded 1805 and
• peninsula 英文词源 peninsula peninsula: see island peninsula (n.) 1530s, from Latin pæninsula "a peninsula," literally "almost an island," from pæne "almost" + insula "island" (see isle ). Earlier translated as demie island . 中文词源 peninsula （半岛）：几乎与大陆隔离的地方 英语单词peninsula来自拉丁语，由pen+insula构成。其中，前缀pen（pene）表示almost（几乎）
• pomegranate 英文词源 pomegranate pomegranate: [14] The pomegranate is etymologically the ‘many-seeded apple’. The word’s ultimate ancestor was Latin mālum grānātum ( mālum gave English malic ‘of apples’ [18], and grānātus was derived from grānum ‘seed’, source of English grain ). In Vulgar Latin this became reduced to simply * grānāta , which passed into Old French as grenate (sourc
• planet 英文词源 planet planet: [12] A planet is etymologically a ‘wanderer’. The word comes via Old French planete and late Latin planēta from Greek planétos , a derivative of the verb planasthai ‘wander’. This was applied to any heavenly body that appeared to move or ‘wander’ across the skies among the fixed stars, which in ancient astronomy included the sun and moon as well as Mars, V
• philosopher 英文词源 philosopher (n.) from Old English philosophe , from Latin philosophus "philosopher," from Greek philosophos "philosopher, sage, one who speculates on the nature of things and truth," literally "lover of wisdom," from philos "loving" (see -phile ) + sophos "wise, a sage" (see sophist ). Modern form with -r appears early 14c., from an Anglo-French or Old French variant of philosophe , w
• profane 英文词源 profane profane: [15] Anything that is profane is etymologically ‘outside the temple’ – hence, ‘secular’ or ‘irreligious’. The word comes via Old French prophane from Latin profānus , a compound adjective formed from the prefix prō - ‘before’ (used here in the sense ‘outside’) and fānum ‘temple’ (source of archaic English fane [14]). = fane profane (v.) la
• priest 英文词源 priest priest: [OE] Priest goes back ultimately to the Greek noun presbúteros , which meant literally ‘elder’ (it was formed from the comparative of the adjective présbus ‘old’). It was used in the Greek translation of the New Testament for ‘elder of the church, priest’. It was borrowed into Latin as presbyter (source of English presbyterian [17]). This subsequently beca
• pontiff 英文词源 pontiff pontiff: [17] In ancient Rome, members of the highest college of priests were known by the epithet pontifex . This looks as though it should mean ‘bridgemaker’ (as if it were formed from Latin pōns ‘bridge’ – source of English pontoon – with the suffix - fex , from facere ‘make’), but no one has ever been able to make any sense of this, and it is generally ass
• placebo 英文词源 placebo placebo: [13] Placebo started life as the first person future singular of the Latin verb placēre ‘please’ (source of English please ), and hence meant originally ‘I will please’. It was the first word of the antiphon to the first psalm in the Roman Catholic service for the dead, Placēbo Dominō in rēgiōne vivōrum ‘I will please the Lord in the land of the living’
• peal 英文词源 peal peal: see appeal peal (n.) mid-14c., "a ringing of a bell" especially as a call to church service, generally considered a shortened form of appeal (n.), with the notion of a bell that "summons" people to church (compare similar evolution in peach (v.)). Extended sense of "loud ringing of bells" is first recorded 1510s. peal (v.) 1630s, from peal (n.). Related: Pealed ; pealing . 中
• patter 英文词源 patter (v.1) "make quick taps," 1610s, frequentative of pat (v.). Related: Pattered ; pattering . As a noun in this sense from 1844. patter (v.2) "talk rapidly," c. 1400, from pater "mumble prayers rapidly" (c. 1300), shortened form of paternoster . Perhaps influenced by patter (v.1). The related noun is first recorded 1758, originally "cant language of thieves and beggars." Compare D
• pastor 英文词源 pastor pastor: [14] Latin pāstor meant ‘shepherd’. It came from the same base as produced pāscere ‘feed’, source of English pasture and repast , and hence denoted etymologically ‘one who grazes sheep’. The ‘animal husbandry’ sense is still fairly alive and well in the derivative pastoral [15], but in pastor itself it has largely been ousted by ‘Christian minister’
• parlor 英文词源 parlor (n.) c. 1200, parlur , "window through which confessions were made," also "apartment in a monastery for conversations with outside persons;" from Old French parleor "courtroom, judgment hall, auditorium" (12c., Modern French parloir ), from parler "to speak" (see parley (n.)). Sense of "sitting room for private conversation" is late 14c.; that of "show room for a business" (as
• promethean 英文词源 Promethean (adj.) 1580s, from Prometheus + -an . Before the introduction of modern matches (see lucifer ), promethean was the name given (early 19c.) to small glass tubes full of sulphuric acid, surrounded by an inflammable mixture, which ignited when pressed and gave off light. 中文词源 promethean （赋予生命的）：希腊神话中的盗火者普罗米修斯 在希腊神话中
• pos- 英文词源 post- word-forming element meaning "after," from Latin post "behind, after, afterward," from *pos-ti (cognates: Arcadian pos , Doric poti "toward, to, near, close by;" Old Church Slavonic po "behind, after," pozdu "late;" Lithuanian pas "at, by"), from PIE *apo- (cognates: Greek apo "from," Latin ab "away from" see apo- ). repose (v.2) "put, place," mid-15c., from Latin repos- , stem
• pluto- 英文词源 plutocracy (n.) 1650s, from Greek ploutokratia "rule or power of the wealthy or of wealth," from ploutos "wealth" (see Pluto ) + -kratia "rule" (see -cracy ). Synonym plutarchy is slightly older (1640s). Pluto-democracy "plutocracy masquerading as democracy" is from 1895. plutonomy "The science of the production and distribution of wealth", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in John L
• phoenix 英文词源 phoenix phoenix: [OE] The phoenix, a fabulous bird which every 500 years consumed itself by fire and then rose again from its own ashes, may get its name from the red flames in which it perished. The word comes via Latin phoenix from Greek phoinix , which as well as ‘phoenix’ denoted ‘Phoenician’ and ‘purple’, and it has been speculated that it may be related to phoinós ‘
• Perseus 英文词源 Perseus son of Zeus and Danaë, slayer of Medusa, from Greek Perseus, of unknown origin. 中文词源 Perseus （英仙座）：希腊神话中的英雄珀尔修斯 珀尔修斯（Perseus）是希腊神话中的英雄，同时也是英仙座的来源。珀尔修斯的外祖父是阿尔戈斯的国王阿克里西奥斯，他从神谕那里得知自己将被女儿达那厄（Danae）所
• peony 英文词源 peony (n.) a 16c. merger of Middle English pyony (from Old English peonie ) and Old North French pione (Modern French pivoine ), both from Late Latin peonia , from Latin pæonia , from Greek paionia (fem. of paionios ), perhaps from Paion , physician of the gods (or Apollo in this aspect), and so called for the plant's healing qualities. The root, flowers, and seeds formerly were used
• Penelope 英文词源 Penelope fem. proper name, name of the faithful wife in the "Odyssey," from Greek Penelopeia , probably related to pene "thread on the bobbin," from penos "web," cognate with Latin pannus "cloth garment" (see pane (n.)). Used in English as the type of the virtuous wife (1580) as it was in Latin. 中文词源 Penelope 's web（缓兵之计）：泊涅罗珀的布匹 在希腊神话中，