英语词源

• abbot 英文词源 abbot abbot: [OE] Abbot comes ultimately from abbā , a Syriac word meaning ‘father’ (which itself achieved some currency in English, particularly in reminiscence of its biblical use: ‘And he said, Abba, father, all things are possible unto thee’, Mark 14:36). This came into Greek as abbás , and thence, via the Latin accusative abbatem , into Old English as abbud or abbod . T
• arena 英文词源 arena arena: [17] The original sense of Latin (h)arēna was ‘sand’ (hence the English technical term arenaceous ‘sandy’ [17]). The central, ‘stage’ area of classical amphitheatres, where contests were held, was covered with sand (to soak up the contestants’ blood) and so by metaphorical extension arēna became the term for this central area, and hence for any enclosed pl
• ascetic 英文词源 ascetic (adj.) 1640s, from Greek asketikos "rigorously self-disciplined, laborious," from asketes "monk, hermit," earlier "one who practices an art or trade," from askein "to exercise, train," originally "to train for athletic competition, practice gymnastics, exercise." ascetic (n.) "one of the early Christians who retired to the desert to live solitary lives of meditation and prayer
• azure 英文词源 azure azure: [14] Azure is of Persian origin. It comes ultimately from Persian lāzhuward , source also of the lazuli in lapis lazuli , a blue semiprecious stone (and azure originally meant ‘lapis lazuli’ in English). The Arabs borrowed the Persian term as (with the definite article al ) allazward , which passed into Old Spanish as azur or azul . Old French borrowed azur and hande
• Argentina 英文词源 Argentina South American nation, from Latin argentinus "of silver" (see argent ); a Latinized form of (Rio) de la Plata , from Spanish plata "silver." 中文词源 Argentina （阿根廷）：西班牙殖民者眼中的“白银之国” 阿根廷的英语名称Argentina由argent（银）演变而成，意思就是“白银之国”。1516年，当西班牙殖民者登上南美大陆时
• Android 英文词源 android (n.) "automaton resembling a human being," 1837, in early use often in reference to automated chess players, from Modern Latin androides (itself attested as a Latin word in English from 1727), from Greek andro- "male" (see andro- ) + -eides "form, shape" (see -oid ). Greek androdes meant "like a man, manly;" compare also Greek andrias "image of a man, statue." Listed as "rare"
• antimacassar 英文词源 antimacassar antimacassar: [19] An antimacassar was a cloth spread over chairbacks in the 19th and early 20th centuries to protect them from greasy hair. It took its name from Macassar oil, a proprietary brand of hair oil made by Rowland and Son, allegedly from ingredients obtained from Makassar, a region of the island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes) in Indonesia. 中文词源 antimaca
• asbestos 英文词源 asbestos asbestos: [14] Originally, the word we now know as asbestos was applied in the Middle Ages to a mythical stone which, once set alight, could never be put out; it came from the Greek compound ásbestos , literally ‘inextinguishable’, which was formed from the prefix a - ‘not’ and sbestós , a derivative of the verb sbennúnai ‘extinguish’. However, by the time it f
• allegory 英文词源 allegory allegory: [14] Etymologically, allegory means ‘speaking otherwise’. It comes from a Greek compound based on allos ‘other’ (which is related to Latin alius , as in English alibi and alias , and to English else ) and agoreúein ‘speak publicly’ (derived from agorá ‘(place of) assembly’, which is the source of English agoraphobia and is related to gregarious ).
• aloof 英文词源 aloof aloof: [16] Aloof was originally a nautical term, a command to steer to windward. Its second syllable is a variant of luff ‘sail closer to the wind’ [13]. This was borrowed from Old French lof , ‘windward side of a ship’, which may itself have been, like so many maritime expressions, of Dutch origin. The modern figurative meaning ‘reserved, uninvolved’ developed via
• acre 英文词源 acre acre: [OE] Acre is a word of ancient ancestry, going back probably to the Indo-European base * ag -, source of words such as agent and act . This base had a range of meanings covering ‘do’ and ‘drive’, and it is possible that the notion of driving contributed to the concept of driving animals on to land for pasture. However that may be, it gave rise to a group of words in
• addict 英文词源 addict addict: [16] Originally, addict was an adjective in English, meaning ‘addicted’. It was borrowed from Latin addictus , the past participle of addicere , which meant ‘give over or award to someone’. This in turn was formed from the prefix ad - ‘to’ and the verb dicere . The standard meaning of dicere was ‘say’ (as in English diction , dictionary , and dictate ),
• abecedarian 英文词源 abecedarian "Arranged alphabetically", Mid 17th century: from late Latin abecedarius 'alphabetical' (from the names of the letters a , b , c , d ) + -an. 中文词源 abecedarian （初步）：拉丁字母表中的前四个字母 英语单词abecedarian（初步）的拼写看起来挺复杂，其实很简单，就是拉丁字母表中前四个字母（ABCD）的组合。也就是说，
• apartheid 英文词源 apartheid apartheid: [20] Apartheid is a direct borrowing from Afrikaans apartheid , literally ‘separateness’, which is a compound based on Dutch apart and the suffix - heid (related to English - hood ). The first record of its use in Afrikaans is in 1929, but it does not appear in English-language contexts until 1947. apartheid (n.) 1947 (policy begun 1948), from Afrikaans aparth
• ambush 英文词源 ambush ambush: [14] Originally, ambush meant literally ‘put in a bush’ – or more precisely ‘hide in a wood, from where one can make a surprise attack’. The hypothetical Vulgar Latin verb * imboscāre was formed from the prefix in - and the noun * boscus ‘bush, thicket’ (a word of Germanic origin, related to English bush ). In Old French this became embuschier , and when
• apprentice 英文词源 apprentice (n.) c. 1300, from Old French aprentiz "someone learning" (13c., Modern French apprenti , taking the older form as a plural), also as an adjective, "unskilled, inexperienced," from aprendre (Modern French apprendre ) "to learn; to teach," contracted from Latin apprehendere (see apprehend ). Shortened form prentice long was more usual in English. apprentice (v.) 1630s, from
• Aesopian 英文词源 No matching word found in the dictionary. Word of Random linnet linnet: see linen 中文词源 Aesopian （伊索式的）：著名的古希腊寓言家伊索 伊索（Aesop）是公元前6世纪古希腊著名的寓言家，与克雷洛夫、拉•封丹和莱辛并称世界四大寓言家。他曾是萨摩斯岛雅德蒙家的奴隶，并被转卖多次，但因知识渊博、聪颖过
• albino 英文词源 albino albino: [18] Like album , albino comes ultimately from Latin albus ‘white’. It was borrowed into English from the Portuguese, who used it with reference to black Africans suffering from albinism (it is a derivative of albo , the Portuguese descendant of Latin albus ). = album albino (n.) 1777, from Spanish or Portuguese albino , from Latin albus "white" (see alb ). Used by
• aleatory 英文词源 aleatory (adj.) "of uncertain outcome," literally "depending on the throw of a die," 1690s, from Latin aleatorius "pertaining to a gamester," from aleator "a dice player," from alea "a game with dice; chance, hazard, risk; a die, the dice;" perhaps literally "a joint-bone, a pivot-bone," and related to axis . 中文词源 aleatory （侥幸的）：历史悠久的掷骰子赌博游戏
• alert 英文词源 alert alert: [17] Alert comes, via French, from an Italian phrase all’ erta ‘on the look-out’, or literally ‘at the ( alla ) watch-tower ( erta )’. Erta was short for torre erta , literally ‘high tower’, in which the adjective erta ‘high’ came ultimately from Latin ērectus , the past participle of ērigere ‘raise’. = erect alert (adv.) "on the watch," 1590s, fro
• allot 英文词源 allot (v.) late 15c., from Old French aloter (Modern French allotir ) "to divide by lots, to divide into lots," from à "to" (see ad- ) + loter "lot," a word of Germanic origin (cognates: Gothic hlauts , Old High German hloz , Old English hlot ; see lot ). Related: Allotted ; allotting . 中文词源 allot （分配）：用摇奖抽签的方式来分配 通过摇奖或抽签的方式来
• attic 英文词源 attic attic: [18] In classical architecture, an Attic order was a pilaster, or square column (the naḿe comes from Attica, a region of ancient Greece of which Athens was the capital). This type of column was often used in a relatively low storey placed above the much higher main façade of a building, which hence became known in the 18th century as an attic storey . It was a short st
• August 英文词源 August August: [OE] The month of August was named by the Romans after their emperor Augustus (63 BC–14 AD). His name was Caius Julius Caesar Octavian, but the Senate granted him the honorary title Augustus in 27 BC. This connoted ‘imperial majesty’, and was a specific use of the adjective augustus ‘magnificent, majestic’ (source of English august [17]); it may derive ultimat
• April 英文词源 April April: [14] Aprīlis was the name given by the Romans to the fourth month of the year. It is thought that the word may be based on Apru , an Etruscan borrowing of Greek Aphrō , a shortened version of Aphroditē , the name of the Greek goddess of love. In that case Aprīlis would have signified for the Romans ‘the month of Venus’. English acquired the word direct from Latin,
• alumnus 英文词源 alumnus alumnus: see alma mater alumnus (n.) 1640s, from Latin alumnus "a pupil," literally "foster son," vestigial present passive participle of alere "to nourish" (see old ), with ending akin to Greek -omenos . Plural is alumni . Fem. is alumna (1882), fem. plural alumnae . 中文词源 alumnus （毕业生）：由其他家庭抚养长大的孩子 在英语中，表示“某校的毕
• ally 英文词源 ally ally: [13] The verb ally was borrowed into English from Old French alier , an alteration of aleier (a different development of the Old French word was aloier , which English acquired as alloy ). This came from Latin alligāre ‘bind one thing to another’, a derivative of ligāre ‘tie’; hence the idea etymologically contained in being ‘allied’ is of having a bond with s
• adobe 英文词源 adobe adobe: [18] Adobe is of Egyptian origin, from the time of the pharaohs. It comes from Coptic tōbe ‘brick’ (the form t.b appears in hieroglyphs). This was borrowed into Arabic, where the addition of the definite article al produced attob ‘the brick’. From Arabic it passed into Spanish (the corridor through which so many Arabic words reached other European languages), and
• armadillo 英文词源 armadillo (n.) 1570s, from Spanish armadillo , diminutive of armado "armored," from Latin armatus , past participle of armare "to arm" (see arm (n.2)). So called for its hard, plated shell. 中文词源 armadillo （犰狳）：披盔甲的小动物 英语单词armadillo（犰狳，穿山甲）来自西班牙语，是armado的指小形式，而后者来自拉丁语armatus，是动词a
• Arctic 英文词源 arctic arctic: [14] Etymologically, the Arctic is the region of the ‘bear’. Nothing to do with polar bears, though. The characteristic constellations of the northern hemisphere are the ‘Little Bear’ (Latin Ursa Minor ), which contains the northern celestial pole, and the Plough, otherwise known as the ‘Great Bear’ (Latin Ursa Major ). The perception that they resemble a be
• archipelago 英文词源 archipelago archipelago: [16] Originally, archipelago was a quite specific term – it was the name of the Aegean Sea, the sea between Greece and Turkey. Derivationally, it is a compound formed in Greek from arkhi - ‘chief’ and pélagos ‘sea’ (source of English pelagic [17] and probably related to plain , placate , and please ). The term ‘chief sea’ identified the Aegean,
• anemone 英文词源 anemone anemone: [16] The wild wood anemone is sometimes called the wind flower , and this idea may be reflected in its standard name too. For it comes from Greek anemónē , which appears to be a derivative of ánemos ‘wind’ (also the source of English animal and animate ). However, it has also been speculated that the Greek word may be an alteration of Hebrew Na’ amān , which
• atmosphere 英文词源 atmosphere atmosphere: [17] Etymologically, atmosphere means ‘ball of vapour’. It was coined as modern Latin atmosphaera from Greek atmós ‘vapour’ (related to áein ‘blow’, ultimate source of English air ) and sphaira ‘sphere’. Its original application was not, as we would now understand it, to the envelope of air encompassing the Earth, but to a mass of gas exhaled f
• anim- 英文词源 No matching word found in the dictionary. Word of Random blow blow: There are three distinct blows in English. The commonest, the verb ‘send out air’ [OE], can be traced back to an Indo-European base * bhlā -. It came into English (as Old English blāwan ) via Germanic * blǣ -, source also of bladder . The Indo-European base also produced Latin flāre ‘blow’, from which Engl
• almanac 英文词源 almanac almanac: [14] One of the first recorded uses of almanac in English is by Chaucer in his Treatise on the astrolabe 1391: ‘A table of the verray Moeuyng of the Mone from howre to howre, every day and in every signe, after thin Almenak’. At that time an almanac was specifically a table of the movements and positions of the sun, moon, and planets, from which astronomical calcu
• aesthetics 英文词源 aesthetics (n.) 1803, from aesthetic (also see -ics ). 中文词源 aesthetics （美学）：对人的感性认识的研究 英语单词aesthetic表示“审美的”，加上一个否定前缀an后形成的单词 anaesthetic却表示“麻醉”，这是为什么呢？原来，aesthetic来自希腊语aisthetikos，本意就是“感知、感觉”的意思，所以 加上an后就是“
• avatar 英文词源 avatar (n.) 1784, "descent of a Hindu deity," from Sanskrit avatarana "descent" (of a deity to the earth in incarnate form), from ava- "off, down" (from PIE *au- (2) "off, away") + base of tarati "(he) crosses over," from PIE root *tere- (2) "to cross over" (see through ). In computer use, it seems to trace to the novel "Snowcrash" (1992) by Neal Stephenson. 中文词源 avatar （化身
• arabesque 英文词源 arabesque (n.) 1610s, "Moorish or Arabic ornamental design," from French arabesque (16c.), from Italian arabesco , from Arabo "Arab," with reference to Moorish architecture. As a ballet pose, first attested 1830. Musical sense, in reference to an ornamented theme, is from 1864, originally the title given by Robert Schumann to one of his piano pieces. 中文词源 arabesque （阿拉伯花
• apostle 英文词源 apostle apostle: [OE] Apostle was an early borrowing into Old English from Latin, and like angel it originally meant ‘messenger’. Latin apostolus came from Greek apóstolos ‘messenger’, or literally ‘someone sent out’; this was a compound formed from the prefix apo - ‘away’ and the verb stéllein ‘send’ (related to English stall and local ). The Old English form, a
• apostate 英文词源 apostate (n.) mid-14c., "one who forsakes his religion or faith," from Old French apostate (Modern French apostat ) and directly from Late Latin apostata , from Greek apostasia "defection, desertion, rebellion," from apostenai "to defect," literally "to stand off," from apo- "away from" (see apo- ) + stenai "to stand." Used in non-religious situations (politics, etc.) from mid-14c. ap
• apocrypha 英文词源 apocrypha apocrypha: see crypt Apocrypha late 14c., neuter plural of Late Latin apocryphus "secret, not approved for public reading," from Greek apokryphos "hidden; obscure," thus "(books) of unknown authorship" (especially those included in the Septuagint and Vulgate but not originally written in Hebrew and not counted as genuine by the Jews), from apo- "away" (see apo- ) + kryptein
• anoint 英文词源 anoint (v.) c. 1300 (implied in anointing ), from Old French enoint "smeared on," past participle of enoindre "smear on," from Latin inunguere "to anoint," from in- "on" + unguere "to smear" (see unguent ). Originally in reference to grease or oil smeared on for medicinal purposes; its use in the Coverdale Bible in reference to Christ (as in The Lord's Anointed ; see chrism ) has spir
• anathema 英文词源 anathema anathema: [16] Originally in Greek anáthēma was a ‘votive offering’ (it was a derivative of the compound verb anatithénai ‘set up, dedicate’, formed from the prefix ana - ‘up’ and the verb tithénai ‘place’, source of English theme and related to English do ). But from being broadly ‘anything offered up for religious purposes’, the word gradually develo
• agenda 英文词源 agenda agenda: [17] Agenda is the plural of Latin agendum , which is the gerundive form of the verb agere ‘do’ (see AGENT); it thus means literally ‘things to be done’. When the word first entered the language it was given an anglicized singular form, agend , with the plural agends , but this seems to have disappeared by the 18th century. The formal plurality of agenda is stil
• advent 英文词源 advent (n.) "important arrival," 1742, an extended sense of Advent "season before Christmas" (Old English), from Latin adventus "a coming, approach, arrival," in Church Latin "the coming of the Savior," from past participle stem of advenire "arrive, come to," from ad- "to" (see ad- ) + venire "to come" (see venue ). In English, also sometimes extended to the Pentecost. 中文词源 ad
• abracadabra 英文词源 abracadabra abracadabra: [16] This magical charm reached English, probably via French, from Greek abrasadabra (the c in the English word arose from a misinterpretation of the c in the original Greek word, which in the Greek alphabet stands for s ). It seems to have originated (perhaps in the 3rd century AD) as a cabalistic word of the Basilidians, a Gnostic sect of Alexandria, and was
• Australia 英文词源 Australia from Latin Terra Australis (16c.), from australis "southern" + -ia . A hypothetical southern continent, known as terra australis incognita , had been proposed since 2c. Dutch explorers called the newfound continent New Holland ; the current name was suggested 1814 by Matthew Flinders as an improvement over Terra Australis "as being more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilat
• auroral 英文词源 auroral (adj.) 1550s, "pertaining to dawn," from aurora + -al (1). Meaning "of the color of dawn" is from 1827; "of the aurora" from 1828. 中文词源 auroral （极光的）：北欧神话中的黎明女神欧若拉 欧若拉（Aurora）是北欧神话中的黎明女神，相当于希腊神话中的爱欧丝 （Eos）。她掌管北极光，代表旭日东升前的黎明。欧若拉是
• augean 英文词源 Augean (adj.) "filthy," 1590s, in reference to Augean stable , the cleansing of which was one of the labors of Herakles, from Greek Augeias , like the stable of Augeas , king of Elis, which contained 3,000 oxen and had gone uncleansed for 30 years. Herakles purified it in one day by turning the river Alpheus through it. 中文词源 augean （极脏的）：希腊神话中奥吉亚斯王
• atlas 英文词源 atlas atlas: [16] In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan who as a punishment for rebelling against the gods was forced to carry the heavens on his shoulders. Hence when the term was first used in English it was applied to a ‘supporter’: ‘I dare commend him to all that know him, as the Atlas of Poetry’, Thomas Nashe on Robert Greene’s Menaphon 1589. In the 16th century it was
• astr- 英文词源 belly (n.) Old English belg , bylig (West Saxon), bælg (Anglian) "leather bag, purse, bellows," from Proto-Germanic *balgiz "bag" (cognates: Old Norse belgr "bag, bellows," bylgja "billow," Gothic balgs "wineskin"), from PIE *bholgh- , from root *bhelgh- "to swell," an extension of *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell" (see bole ). Meaning shifted to "abdomen of a human or animal" (late 13c.)
• arachnid 英文词源 arachnid (n.) "a spider," 1869, from French arachnide (1806) or Modern Latin Arachnida , introduced as name for this class of arthropods 1815 by French biologist Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck (1744-1829), from Greek arakhne (fem.) "spider; spider's web," which probably is cognate with Latin aranea "spider, spider's web" (borrowed in Old English as renge "spider"), f
• antaean 英文词源 No matching word found in the dictionary. Word of Random saloon saloon: [18] Saloon is part of a widespread western European family of words for ‘large room’. They go back to a prehistoric Germanic * salaz , ancestor of German saal . This was borrowed into Vulgar Latin as * sala , whose descendants include French salle and Italian sala . A derivative of this, denoting ‘large siz
• ammonia 英文词源 ammonia ammonia: [18] Ammonia gets its name ultimately from Amon, or Amen, the Egyptian god of life and reproduction. Near the temple of Amon in Libya were found deposits of ammonium chloride, which was hence named sal ammoniac – ‘salt of Amon’. The gas nitrogen hydride is derived from sal ammoniac, and in 1782 the Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman coined the term ammonia for it.
• ambrosia 英文词源 ambrosia (n.) 1550s, "favored food or drink of the gods," from Latin ambrosia , from Greek ambrosia "food of the gods," fem. of ambrosios , probably literally "of the immortals," from a- "not" (see a- (3)) + mbrotos , related to mortos "mortal," from PIE *mer- "to die" (see mortal (adj.)). Applied to certain herbs by Pliny and Dioscorides; used of various foods for mortals since 1680s
• aegis 英文词源 aegis aegis: [18] The notion of ‘protection’ contained in this word goes back to classical mythology, in which one of the functions or attributes of the Greek god Zeus (and later of Roman Jupiter or Minerva) was the giving of protection. This was usually represented visually as a shield, traditionally held to be made of goatskin – hence Greek aigís , the name of the shield, cam
• Aegean 英文词源 Aegean sea between Greece and Asia Minor, 1570s, traditionally named for Aegeus , father of Theseus, who threw himself to his death in it when he thought his son had perished; but perhaps from Greek aiges "waves," a word of unknown origin. 中文词源 Aegean （爱琴海）：希腊传说中跳海自尽的雅典国王埃勾斯 希腊传说中，著名英雄忒修斯王子自告奋勇前
• Achilles 英文词源 Achilles Greek hero of the Trojan War stories, son of Thetis and Peleus, his name is perhaps a compound of akhos "pain, grief" (see awe ) + laos "the people, a people" (see lay (adj.)); or else it is from a pre-Greek language. 中文词源 Achilles ' heel（致命弱点）：阿咖琉斯之踵 阿喀琉斯（Achilles）是希腊神话中的著名英雄，是海神忒提斯（Thetis）和
• amber 英文词源 amber amber: [14] Amber was borrowed, via Old French, from Arabic ‘anbar , which originally meant ‘ambergris’ (and in fact until the early 18th century amber was used for ‘ambergris’ too). A perceived resemblance between the two substances had already led in Arabic to ‘amber’ ousting ‘ambergris’ as the main meaning of ‘anbar , and this was reflected as soon as Engl
• aspect 英文词源 aspect (n.) late 14c., an astrological term, "relative position of the planets as they appear from earth" (i.e., how they "look at" one another); later also "way of viewing things," from Latin aspectus "a seeing, looking at, sight, view, countenance, appearance," from past participle of aspicere "to look at," from ad- "to" (see ad- ) + specere "to look" (see scope (n.1)). Meaning "the
• agnostic 英文词源 agnostic agnostic: [19] Agnostic is an invented word. It was coined by the English biologist and religious sceptic T H Huxley (1825–95) to express his opposition to the views of religious gnostics of the time, who claimed that the world of the spirit (and hence God) was knowable ( gnostic comes ultimately from Greek gnōsis ‘knowledge’). With the addition of the Greek-derived pr
• abscess 英文词源 abscess abscess: [16] Abscess comes, via French abcès , from Latin abscessus , a noun derived from abscēdere ‘go away’. The constituent parts of this compound verb are abs ‘away’ and cēdere ‘go’, which has given English cede and a whole range of other words, such as accede and recede . The notion linking ‘abscesses’ and ‘going away’ was that impure or harmful bo
• Armageddon 英文词源 Armageddon (n.) "a final conflict," 1811, figurative use of name in Rev. xvi:16, place of the great and final conflict, from Hebrew Har Megiddon "Mount of Megiddo," city in central Palestine, site of important Israeli battles. 中文词源 Armageddon （大决战）：圣经中世界末日善恶决战的战场 在《圣经》的“启示录”中提到，世界末日来临之时，以上
• apocalypse 英文词源 apocalypse apocalypse: [13] A ‘catastrophic event, such as the end of the world’ is a relatively recent, 20thcentury development in the meaning of apocalypse . Originally it was an alternative name for the book of the Bible known as the ‘Revelation of St. John the divine’, which describes a vision of the future granted to St John on the island of Patmos. And in fact, the under
• alabaster 英文词源 alabaster alabaster: [14] Chaucer was the first English author to use the word alabaster : in the Knight’s Tale (1386) he writes of ‘alabaster white and red coral’. It comes, via Old French and Latin, from Greek alábast(r)os , which may be of Egyptian origin. Scottish English used the variant from alabast until the 16th century (indeed, this may predate alabaster by a few years
• abomination 英文词源 abomination (n.) early 14c., "abominable thing or action;" late 14c., "feeling of disgust, hatred, loathing," from Old French abominacion "abomination, horror, repugnance, disgust" (13c.), from Latin abominationem (nominative abominatio ) "abomination," noun of action from past participle stem of abominari "shun as an ill omen," from ab- "off, away from" (see ab- ) + omin- , stem of o
• atrophy 英文词源 atrophy (n.) "a wasting away through lack of nourishment," 1620s ( atrophied is from 1590s), from French atrophie , from Late Latin atrophia , from Greek atrophia "a wasting away," noun of state from atrophos "ill-fed, un-nourished," from a- "not" + trophe "nourishment," from trephein "to fatten" (see -trophy ). atrophy (v.) 1822 (implied in atrophied ), from atrophy (n.). Related: At
• Argonauts 英文词源 Argonauts "A group of heroes who accompanied Jason on board the ship Argo in the quest for the Golden Fleece", Argonaut from Greek argonautēs 'sailor in the ship Argo'. 中文词源 Argonauts （冒险家）：乘坐阿耳戈号去夺取金羊毛的希腊英雄们 在希腊神话中，希腊英雄伊阿宋为了夺回父亲的王位，被迫答应为篡位的叔父前去遥远的 科尔
• Andromeda 英文词源 Andromeda constellation, 1667 (earlier Andromece , mid-15c.); in classical mythology the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, from Greek, literally "mindful of her husband," from andros , genitive of aner "man" (see anthropo- ) + medesthai "to be mindful of, think on," related to medea (neuter plural) "counsels, plans, devices, cunning" (and source of the name Medea ). 中文词源 And
• aesculapian 英文词源 Aesculapian "Relating to medicine or physicians", Late 16th century: from Latin Aesculapius, the name of the Roman god of medicine, + -ian. 中文词源 aesculapian （医术的）：罗马神话中的医神埃斯库拉庇乌斯 埃斯库拉庇乌斯（Aesculapius）是罗马神话中的医神，是太阳神阿波罗和塞萨利公主科洛尼斯（Coronis）的儿子。埃斯库拉庇乌
• aroma 英文词源 aroma (n.) early 13c., "fragrant substance," from Latin aroma "sweet odor," from Greek aroma "seasoning, any spice or sweet herb," which is of unknown origin. Meaning "fragrance" is from 1814. A hypercorrect plural is aromata . 中文词源 aroma （芳香）：从芬香植物中萃取的物质 古人很早就开始尝试从芬香植物中萃取精油和药膏，用于保健、提神、
• A Penelope's Web 英文词源 No matching word found in the dictionary. Word of Random lightning lightning: [14] Etymologically, lightning is simply something that illuminates, or ‘lightens’, the sky. The word is a contraction of an earlier lightening , a derivative of lighten ‘make light’. The Old English word for ‘lightning’ was lēget , which is related to light . In Middle English it became leit ,
• An Apple of Discord 英文词源 No matching word found in the dictionary. Word of Random verdigris verdigris: [14] Etymologically, verdigris means ‘green of Greece’. It comes from Old French vertegrez , a conflation of vert de Grece ‘green of Greece’ ( vert came from Latin viridis ‘green’, which also gave English verdant [16] and verdure [14] and may be related to Old English wīse ‘sprout, stalk’, O
• average 英文词源 average average: [15] The word average has a devious history. It began in Arabic, as ‘ awārīya , the plural of ‘ awār , a noun derived from the verb ‘ āra ‘mutilate’; this was used as a commercial term, denoting ‘damaged merchandise’. The first European language to adopt it was Italian, as avaria , and it passed via Old French avarie into English (where in the 16th c
• auction 英文词源 auction auction: [16] The etymological idea underlying auction is that of ‘increasing’ – as the sale proceeds, the price offered goes up. The word comes from Latin auctiō ‘increase’, a noun derived from auct -, the past participial stem of the verb augēre ‘increase’ (source of English augment [15] and author , and related to auxiliary [17] and eke ). The sense ‘aucti
• assassin 英文词源 assassin assassin: [17] Etymologically, an assassin is an ‘eater or smoker of hashish’, the drug cannabis. In the Middle Ages, in the area of the Middle East and modern Iran, there was a sect of fanatical Ismaili Muslims, founded in the late 11th century by Hassan ibn Sabbah. Its members killed the sect’s opponents under the influence of cannabis. Hence the hashshāshīn (plural
• accost 英文词源 accost (v.) 1570s, from Middle French accoster "move up to," from Italian accostare or directly from Late Latin accostare "come up to the side," from Latin ad- "to" (see ad- ) + costa "rib, side" (see coast (n.)). The original notion is of fleets of warships attacking an enemy's coast. Related: Accosted ; accosting . 中文词源 accost （搭讪）：战舰逼近敌人的海岸 英语单
• ace 英文词源 ace ace: [13] Ace comes from the name of a small ancient Roman coin, the as (which may have been of Etruscan origin). As well as denoting the coin, Latin as stood for ‘one’ or ‘unity’, and it was as the ‘score of one at dice’ that it first entered English. ace (n.) c. 1300, "one at dice," from Old French as "one at dice," from Latin as "a unit, one, a whole, unity;" also t
• acrobat 英文词源 acrobat acrobat: [19] The Greek adjective ákros meant ‘topmost, at the tip or extremity’ (it derives ultimately from the Indo-European base * ak meaning ‘be pointed or sharp’, which also gave rise to acid , acute , oxygen , and edge ). It crops up in acrophobia ‘fear of heights’; in acropolis ‘citadel’, literally ‘upper city’; in acromegaly ‘unnaturally enlarged
• antic 英文词源 antic antic: see antique antic (n.) 1520s, "grotesque or comical gesture," from Italian antico "antique," from Latin antiquus "old" (see antique ). Originally (like grotesque ) a 16c. Italian word referring to the strange and fantastic representations on ancient murals unearthed around Rome (especially originally the Baths of Titus, rediscovered 16c.); later extended to "any bizarre t
• alphabet 英文词源 alphabet alphabet: [15] This word is based on the names of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta , standing for the whole. It derives from Greek alphabētos , via Latin alphabētum . When it first came into English, purists tried to insist that it should be reserved for the Greek alphabet, and that the English alphabet should be referred to by the term ABC (which
• answer 英文词源 answer answer: [OE] Etymologically, the word answer contains the notion of making a sworn statement rebutting a charge. It comes from a prehistoric West and North Germanic compound * andswarō ; the first element of this was the prefix * and - ‘against’, related to German ent - ‘away, un-’ and to Greek anti -, source of English anti -; and the second element came from the same
• ambition 英文词源 ambition ambition: [14] Like ambient , ambition comes ultimately from the Latin compound verb ambīre ‘go round’ (formed from the prefix ambi -, as in AMBIDEXTROUS, and the verb īre ‘go’, which also gave English exit , initial , and itinerant ). But while ambient , a 16th-century acquisition, remains fairly faithful to the literal meaning of the verb, ambition depends on a mo
• affiliate 英文词源 affiliate (adj.) 1858, from affiliate (v.). affiliate (n.) 1846, from affiliate (v.). affiliate (v.) 1761, from Latin affiliatus , past participle of affiliare "to adopt" (see affiliation ). Outside legal use, always figurative. Related: Affiliated ; affiliating . 中文词源 affiliate （使附属）：古罗马的养子继承制 古罗马实行长子继承制。为了避免死后无人
• abet 英文词源 abet abet: see bait abet (v.) late 14c. (implied in abetting ), from Old French abeter "to bait, to harass with dogs," literally "to cause to bite," from a- "to" (see ad- ) + beter "to bait," from Frankish or some other Germanic source, perhaps Low Franconian betan "incite," or Old Norse beita "cause to bite," from Proto-Germanic *baitjan , from PIE root *bheid- "to split" (see fissur
• affinity 英文词源 affinity affinity: [14] The abstract notion of ‘relationship’ in affinity was originally a more concrete conception of a border. The word comes, via Old French afinite , from the Latin adjective affinis , which meant literally ‘bordering on something’. It was formed from the prefix ad - ‘to’ and the noun finis ‘border’ (from which English also gets finish , confine , a
• admiral 英文词源 admiral admiral: [13] Admirals originally had nothing specifically to do with the sea. The word comes ultimately from Arabic ’ amīr ‘commander’ (from which English later also acquired emir [17]). This entered into various titles followed by the particle - al - ‘of’ (’ amīr-al-bahr ‘commander of the sea’, ’ amīr-al-mūminīn ‘commander of the faithful’), and wh
• album 英文词源 album album: [17] Latin albus ‘white’ has been the source of a variety of English words: alb ‘ecclesiastical tunic’ [OE], albedo ‘reflective power’ [19], Albion [13], an old word for Britain , probably with reference to its white cliffs, albumen ‘white of egg’ [16], and auburn , as well as albino . Album is a nominalization of the neuter form of the adjective, which wa
• alcohol 英文词源 alcohol alcohol: [16] Originally, alcohol was a powder, not a liquid. The word comes from Arabic alkuhul , literally ‘the kohl’ – that is, powdered antimony used as a cosmetic for darkening the eyelids. This was borrowed into English via French or medieval Latin, and retained this ‘powder’ meaning for some centuries (for instance, ‘They put between the eyelids and the eye
• aftermath 英文词源 aftermath aftermath: [16] Originally, and literally, an aftermath was a second crop of grass or similar grazing vegetation, grown after an earlier crop in the same season had been harvested. Already by the mid 17th century it had taken on the figurative connotations of ‘resulting condition’ which are today its only living sense. The - math element comes from Old English mǣth ‘m
• arrive 英文词源 arrive arrive: [13] When speakers of early Middle English ‘arrived’, what they were literally doing was coming to shore after a voyage. For arrive was originally a Vulgar Latin compound verb based on the Latin noun rīpa ‘shore, river bank’ (as in the English technical term riparian ‘of a river bank’; and river comes from the same source). From the phrase ad rīpam ‘to t