2010年7月29日 星期四

Abide

Abide忍受

A+bide 去忍受

在古英文中,這個字本來是從remainendure的意思來的,像是we abidon his就是we waited for him的意思,可是到中古英文的時候這個字又出現了現在我們比較熟知的意思to put up with

要比較注意的是,abideabide by在紅寶上雖然註明意義不同,可是從英文解釋上來看其實這兩者仍然是有關連的,應該視作同義詞組。

abiding則可以從endure這個字源來想:一個東西可以歷久不衰,肯定是個經得起考驗的東西!

Sb can’t abide sth: used to say that someone dislikes something or someone very much

abide by: to accept and obey a decision, rule, agreement etc, though you may not agree with it: his love for machine is intensive and abiding

Abiding

An abiding feeling or belief continues for a long time and is not likely to change

abeyance

Abeyance 中止、擱置

From Anglo-Fr. abeiance "suspension," also "expectation (especially in a lawsuit)"

這個字從字源分析來看,乍看之下真的不懂為什麼會有暫停阿、擱置阿等等的意思。但是從歷史上的來源來看的話,其實這個字的expect的意思是說:期待得到財產。轉到英國後變成說是:暫時失去自己的財物所有權。因為失去了自己的財物,很自然的就會期望他快點回來不是嗎?

in abeyance something such as a custom, rule, or system that is in abeyance is not being used at the present time

fall into abeyance (=no longer be used)

Abhor

Abhor/rence

   /rent

Middle English abhorren, from Latin abhorrēre, from ab- + horrēre to shudder

ab+hor 遠離恐怖的東西→討厭某物


[VT, not in progressive]

To hate a kind of behavior or way of thinking; especially because you think it morally wrong:

any kind of discrimination is abhorrent to me


相關的字還有hatred喔


可以跟abide一起記,你討厭的東西就是你不能忍受的東西!

Things that you abhor are those you can't abide!

Isn't it right?


2010年7月2日 星期五

aberrant

Aberrant/ion

Ab+err(wonder) 偏離散步的小徑,越軌的、不正常的

注意,此處紅寶書將err字根解釋作為error是錯誤的,但若只為了方便記憶,無傷大雅。

ADJ not usual or normal

His recent behave is rather aberrant.

An aberrant behavior

同義字:

Deviation: UN noticeable from what is expected or acceptable

deviation from

The procedure he adopted is deviation from the normal one.

Eccentricity: UN strange or unusual behavior

No one wants to get a reputation for eccentricity.

abdicate

Abdicat/e

    ion

Ab+dic 放棄去說、去聲明,讓位、放棄

VIVT to give up the position of being queen or king

The king was forced to abdicate the throne.



abdicate (your) responsibility

To refuse to be responsible for something, when you should be or were before


Governments can't abdicate their responsibility in seeking greater life for their people.

The government has largely abdicated its responsibility in dealing with housing needs.

同義詞:

relinquish

renounce

[GRE] Abate

Abate/ment

late 13c., from O.Fr. abattre "beat down, cast down," from L. ad "to" + battuere "to beat"

一直打、打到東西變小、變少

VI to become less strong or decrease

The typhoon is too strong. We are waiting it to abate, otherwise we can’t go home.

相關字:

Abattoir: slaughterhouse for cows (from abattre) 牛被揍(屠宰)的地方

Bate: to reduce, to lessen the intensity

e.g. bated breath—from Shakespeare’s the Merchant of Venice

bated breath很文很有畫面,可以記起來用!

google上看到有人是用:

Bated Breath became a part of my life

If you wait for something with bated breath, you wait anxiously to find out what will happen

從第二句可以看出他的用法,用在一般句子的修飾是加上with,要注意唷!


[字首] AB, ABS

這系列的文章參考許章真老師的最重要的一百個英文字首字根。
這一本書並不是針對GRE設計的,有許多GRE單字都沒有收錄進去,但是作為GRE的入門磚,筆者認為是綽綽有餘。

筆者認為,現在流行的紅寶書有一大缺陷就是沒有好好的提示字首字根,以致於自學者不大能通透把握住字義。在單字量又如此龐大的情況下,往往是被了一個忘一個,毫無學習效率可言。


許章真老師在書中的前言就提到,其實在大學以上的用字,大多數都是可以靠字首字根來記憶。老師舉了一個字串讓筆者非常配服:

若以predictable為起點,我們可以有如下字串

predictable (pre=before, dict=say)
  ↓
edict (e=out, dict=say)
expedite (ex=out, ped=foot)
impede (im=in, pel=drive)
impel (im=in, pel=drive)
  ↓
compel (com=together, pel=drive)
commit (com=together, mit=send)
  ↓
submit (sub=under, pos=place)
suppose (sup=under, pos=place)
  ↓
dispose (dis=away, pos=place)
distract (dis=away, tract=draw)
  ↓
contract (con=together, tract=draw)

很輕鬆地就可以利用字首字根拉出十一個單字來一併複習,增強記憶呢!


拉哩啦雜的這麼多,那到底AB、ABS是甚麼意思?

ab、abs這兩地字首是源自於拉丁介系詞a, ab,在拉丁文中就是away, from等具有離開的意思的詞彙,像是在拉丁文中的離開義大利就是「ab Italia」

事實上,不管是ab, abs還是a,都是一樣的意思,他們的形態之所以會有差異是跟其後接續的字詞的發音有關,簡單的說就是怎麼念會比較好念就接哪一個。

幾個與這個字首有關的字像是abominate、absolute、abhor都可以用字首字根的方式來理解喔!

ab+ominate= away from omen 遠離凶兆,視XX為凶兆而遠離,所以就是憎恨的意思囉!
ab+solute= away and being solved 鬆開而自由分離,分離就不會被他人操控,所以就是「完全」自由了!
ab+hor=away from horrible things 遠離恐怖,是XX為恐怖的東西而遠離,所以跟abominate一樣,都是憎恨的意思!


不知道這樣有沒有比較清楚呢^^;

[GRE] abash

Abash/ed shameful

Abash

VT to make someone feel shameful



Abashed

ADJ embarrassed or ashamed because you have done something stupid

E.g. she looks rather abashed.

相關字:bashful—bring down, humiliateshy

easily embarrassed in social situations


[GRE] abandon

Abandon

A+bandon = to/at + power/jurisdiction (from French )

in phrase mettre à bandon "to give up to a public ban,"

這個字大約是在十四世紀晚期出現的,從這個時間點以及字源來看, mettre à bandon 中所說的to give up to a public ban中的ban不是指禁令,而是指中世紀時代領主、騎士所擁有的權利(ban),像是徵稅權阿、土地權阿等等的。所以abandon就演變出有放棄那些自己應對其負責的事物的意思。


Abandon1 放棄

1)VT to leave someone, especially someone you are responsible for

E.g. How could she abandon her own child?

2) VT to go away from a place, vehicle etc permanently, especially because the situation makes it impossible for you to stay

E.g. We have to abandon the car and walk the rest of the way.

abandon yourself to sth

to feel an emotion so strongly that you let it control you completely

She abandoned herself to grief.

Abandon2 放縱

1)UN if someone dose things with abandon, they behave in a careless or uncontrolled way, without thinking or caring what they are doing.

with reckless/wild abandon

They smoked and drank with reckless abandon.