barbarous
英 ['bɑːb(ə)rəs]
美 ['bɑrbərəs]
助記提示
1. 古希臘人很看不起外地人，說外地人講話是 *barbar-，這是一個擬聲詞根，模擬小孩咿呀學語時口齒不清的聲音、發音，由此表示“說話像孩子那樣口齒不清”，現在演化為 barbarous "未開化的"、barbarian "野蠻人，就像咱們稱呼未開化的外族人為：蠻人、夷人、胡人等"。漢語說“巴拉巴拉”時，也是一種擬聲、也是一種貶義，這時英語用 blah-blah，這與漢語的擬聲完全一樣。
2. from PIE root *barbar- echoic of unintelligible speech of foreigners.
3. Originally not entirely pejorative, its sense darkened after the Persian wars. The Romans (technically themselves barbaroi) took up the word and applied it to tribes or nations which had no Greek or Roman accomplishments.
4. barbar- + -ous.
5. bar(棍) + bar(棍) + ian(人) => 一個人一手拿個棍子野蠻的人。
英文詞源
- barbarous
- barbarous: [15] Originally, a barbarous person was a ‘foreigner’, anyone who did not speak your own language. Greek bárbaros meant ‘foreign, ignorant’, and it has been speculated that its ultimate signification was ‘unable to speak intelligibly’ (the related Sanskrit barbaras meant ‘stammering’). English acquired the word from Latin barbarus, a modified Vulgar Latin version of which, *brabus, produced Italian bravo and hence, via French, English brave.
=> brave - barbarous (adj.)
- c. 1400, "uncivilized, uncultured, ignorant," from Latin barbarus, from Greek barbaros (see barbarian). Meaning "not Greek or Latin" (of words or language) is from c. 1500; that of "savagely cruel" is from 1580s.
雙語例句
- 1. He thought the poetry of Whitman barbarous.
- 他認為惠特曼的詩歌太粗俗。
來自柯林斯例句
- 2. the barbarous treatment of these prisoners of war
- 對這些戰俘的殘酷待遇
來自《權威詞典》
- 3. They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities.
- 他們犯有最野蠻、最滅絕人性的殘暴罪行.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
- 4. It was barbarous to treat prisoners in that manner.
- 如此對待犯人,真是太殘忍了.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
- 5. It is barbarous to call at 5 a.m.
- 清晨五點給人打電話是缺乏教養的行為.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》