diaphanous \dy-AF-uh-nuhs\, adjective:
精致
1. Of such fine texture as to allow light to pass through; translucent or transparent.
2. Vague; insubstantial.
The curtains are thin, a diaphanous membrane that can't quite contain the light outside.
-- Eric Liu, The Accidental Asian
She needed more than diaphanous hope, more than I could give her.
-- Tej Rae, "One Hand Extended", Washington Post, August 12, 2001
This phantom wore many faces, but it always had golden hair, was enveloped in a diaphanous cloud, and floated airily before his mind's eye in a pleasing chaos of roses, peacocks, white ponies, and blue ribbons.
-- Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Friday, September 24, 2010
agog
agog \uh-GOG\, adjective:
极度兴奋
Full of excitement or interest; in eager desire; eager, keen.
Kobe Bryant left the Minnesota Timberwolves agog after a series of eye-popping moves in a game last week.
-- New York Times, February 5, 1998
He was now so interested, quite so privately agog, about it, that he had already an eye to the fun it would be to open up to her afterwards.
-- Henry James, The Ambassadors
By the second day he had found his sea-legs, and with hair flying and double-waistcoats flapping, he patrolled the deck agog with excitement, questioning and noting.
-- Richard Holmes, Coleridge: Darker Reflections, 1804-1834
Agog derives from Middle French en gogues, "in mirth; lively."
极度兴奋
Full of excitement or interest; in eager desire; eager, keen.
Kobe Bryant left the Minnesota Timberwolves agog after a series of eye-popping moves in a game last week.
-- New York Times, February 5, 1998
He was now so interested, quite so privately agog, about it, that he had already an eye to the fun it would be to open up to her afterwards.
-- Henry James, The Ambassadors
By the second day he had found his sea-legs, and with hair flying and double-waistcoats flapping, he patrolled the deck agog with excitement, questioning and noting.
-- Richard Holmes, Coleridge: Darker Reflections, 1804-1834
Agog derives from Middle French en gogues, "in mirth; lively."
Friday, July 30, 2010
behemoth
behemoth \bih-HEE-muhth\, noun:
1. noun 巨兽；庞然大物
2. noun [Bible] 河马（巨兽）[约伯记40：15-24]
1. Any creature or thing of monstrous size or power
2. An animal, perhaps the hippopotamus, mentioned in the Book of Job.
All the sportive rollickings of all the animals, from the agile fawn to the unwieldly behemoth, are dances taught them by nature.
-- Ambrose Bierce, They All Dance
And while that's not the case here, the retail behemoth clearly has the captive attention of mainstream America.
-- Dave Herrera, "3OH!3 gets enviable Walmart co-sign, prepares to print its own money," Denver Westword, July, 2010.
Behemoth derives from the Hebrew b'hemoth in the Book of Job, but may be a folk etymology of Egyptian pehemau , "water-ox," the name for the hippopotamus.
1. noun 巨兽；庞然大物
2. noun [Bible] 河马（巨兽）[约伯记40：15-24]
1. Any creature or thing of monstrous size or power
2. An animal, perhaps the hippopotamus, mentioned in the Book of Job.
All the sportive rollickings of all the animals, from the agile fawn to the unwieldly behemoth, are dances taught them by nature.
-- Ambrose Bierce, They All Dance
And while that's not the case here, the retail behemoth clearly has the captive attention of mainstream America.
-- Dave Herrera, "3OH!3 gets enviable Walmart co-sign, prepares to print its own money," Denver Westword, July, 2010.
Behemoth derives from the Hebrew b'hemoth in the Book of Job, but may be a folk etymology of Egyptian pehemau , "water-ox," the name for the hippopotamus.
palladian
palladian \puh-LEY-dee-uhn\, adjective:
（16世纪意大利建筑家）帕拉第奥的；（建筑）帕拉第奥式的
1. Pertaining to wisdom, knowledge, or study.
2. Of or pertaining to the goddess Athena.
3. Pertaining to, introduced by, or in the architectural style of Andrea Palladio.
Within the sanctuary the gold and ivory image of Athena, fashioned by Phidias, had given way to the pale face of Our Lady, Mother of the Holy Child, and the grandiloquent Latin of the mass rolled its volume through the hall that once had echoed to the sonorous Greek of the Palladian hymns.
-- Justin Huntly McCarthy, The dryad: a novel
Miss Barfoot was smiling at this Palladian attitude when a servant announced two ladies, Mrs. Smallbrook and Miss Haven.
-- George Gissing, Arlene Young, The odd women
Palladian is a direct ancestor of the Greek Palládios, "of Athena," goddess of wisdom.
（16世纪意大利建筑家）帕拉第奥的；（建筑）帕拉第奥式的
1. Pertaining to wisdom, knowledge, or study.
2. Of or pertaining to the goddess Athena.
3. Pertaining to, introduced by, or in the architectural style of Andrea Palladio.
Within the sanctuary the gold and ivory image of Athena, fashioned by Phidias, had given way to the pale face of Our Lady, Mother of the Holy Child, and the grandiloquent Latin of the mass rolled its volume through the hall that once had echoed to the sonorous Greek of the Palladian hymns.
-- Justin Huntly McCarthy, The dryad: a novel
Miss Barfoot was smiling at this Palladian attitude when a servant announced two ladies, Mrs. Smallbrook and Miss Haven.
-- George Gissing, Arlene Young, The odd women
Palladian is a direct ancestor of the Greek Palládios, "of Athena," goddess of wisdom.
acedia
acedia \uh-SEE-dee-uh\, noun:
懒散，懒惰；麻痹；冷漠忧郁性综合征
1. Sloth.
2. Laziness or indifference in religious matters.
His tales give the impression of a man cursed with an incurable disenchantment with life, a malady about midway between acedia and ennui.
-- James Norman Hall, Under a thatched roof
Five thousand people yawning in their cars, intimidated by the cops and bored to acedia by the chant of the politicians.
-- Edward Abbey, The monkey wrench gang
Acedia is a simple derivation from the Greek akēdeia, "indifference."
懒散，懒惰；麻痹；冷漠忧郁性综合征
1. Sloth.
2. Laziness or indifference in religious matters.
His tales give the impression of a man cursed with an incurable disenchantment with life, a malady about midway between acedia and ennui.
-- James Norman Hall, Under a thatched roof
Five thousand people yawning in their cars, intimidated by the cops and bored to acedia by the chant of the politicians.
-- Edward Abbey, The monkey wrench gang
Acedia is a simple derivation from the Greek akēdeia, "indifference."
philogyny
philogyny \fi-LOJ-uh-nee\, noun:
对女人的爱好
Love of or liking for women (opposite of misogyny.)
We will, therefore, draw a curtain over this scene, from that philogyny which is in us, and proceed to matters which, instead of dishonouring the human species, will greatly raise and ennoble it.
-- Henry Fielding, The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great
To me, it is immaterial if misogyny or philogyny or whatever was in the writer's mind. It's the fact of censorship and, what is truly more infuriating, at the instigation of a cleric, that alarms me.
-- Giordiano Bruno, "Wrong move, Mr Rector, sir," Malta Independent, November 2009
Philogyny combines two Greek roots: philo, "love," and gyn, "woman."
对女人的爱好
Love of or liking for women (opposite of misogyny.)
We will, therefore, draw a curtain over this scene, from that philogyny which is in us, and proceed to matters which, instead of dishonouring the human species, will greatly raise and ennoble it.
-- Henry Fielding, The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great
To me, it is immaterial if misogyny or philogyny or whatever was in the writer's mind. It's the fact of censorship and, what is truly more infuriating, at the instigation of a cleric, that alarms me.
-- Giordiano Bruno, "Wrong move, Mr Rector, sir," Malta Independent, November 2009
Philogyny combines two Greek roots: philo, "love," and gyn, "woman."
impedimenta
impedimenta \im-ped-uh-MEN-tuh\, noun:
1. 行军行李，部队辎重
2. 包袱，累赘，阻碍
Baggage or other things that retard one's progress.
With the ladies, therefore, matters soon assumed vivid and definite shape; they became clearly and irrefutably materialized; they stood stripped of all doubt and other impedimenta.
-- Nikolaĭ Gogol, Dead Souls
Amid all the usual impedimenta of a life, he came upon an unexpected treasure."When I was going through my father's chest of drawers, I found a little book that turned out to be a diary of my mother," Rodriguez told The Times.
-- Elizabeth Ogus, "Mi Diario,"The Montclair Times, July 2010.
Impedimenta relates to the Latin impedire, literally "to shackle one's feet."
1. 行军行李，部队辎重
2. 包袱，累赘，阻碍
Baggage or other things that retard one's progress.
With the ladies, therefore, matters soon assumed vivid and definite shape; they became clearly and irrefutably materialized; they stood stripped of all doubt and other impedimenta.
-- Nikolaĭ Gogol, Dead Souls
Amid all the usual impedimenta of a life, he came upon an unexpected treasure."When I was going through my father's chest of drawers, I found a little book that turned out to be a diary of my mother," Rodriguez told The Times.
-- Elizabeth Ogus, "Mi Diario,"The Montclair Times, July 2010.
Impedimenta relates to the Latin impedire, literally "to shackle one's feet."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)