disaster
英 [dɪ'zɑːstə]
美 [dɪ'zæstɚ]
助記提示
前綴“dis-”(意思：壞的) + “aster”(意思：星星)，字麵上的意思就是“壞星星”，表示一種“凶兆”。
著名的貝葉掛毯（Bayeux Tapestry）上出現的哈雷彗星，講述了在黑斯廷斯戰役（Battle of Hastings）之前哈雷彗星在天空中出現的情況，當時的人們認為彗星預示了戰爭的到來。
古希臘人特別癡迷於占星學和宇宙，而且堅信天體會對地麵上的生命有影響。對於古希臘人來說，一顆“壞星星”就是一場天上對於地麵上將要發生的災難的一種預示！比如說各種彗星，以及各種超新星爆炸事件。
中文詞源
disaster 災難dis-, 不，非，使相反。-aster, 星星，星辰，詞源同star, asterisk.即星位不正，在古代占星術中預示著災難降臨。
英文詞源
- disaster
- disaster: [16] The word disaster has astrological connotations. It comes, perhaps via French désastre, from Italian disastro; this was a backformation from disastrato, literally ‘ill-starred’, a compound adjective formed from the pejorative prefix dis- and astro ‘star’, a descendant of Latin astrum ‘star’. This in turn came from Greek astron ‘star’, source of English astronomy and related to English star. So the underlying meaning of the word is ‘malevolent astral influence’. Provençal has the parallel malastre ‘misfortune’.
- disaster (n.)
- 1590s, from Middle French désastre (1560s), from Italian disastro "ill-starred," from dis-, here merely pejorative (see dis-) + astro "star, planet," from Latin astrum, from Greek astron (see star (n.)). The sense is astrological, of a calamity blamed on an unfavorable position of a planet.
雙語例句
- 1. An airliner came close to disaster while approaching Heathrow Airport.
- 一架大型客機在飛近希思羅機場時差點兒發生空難。
來自柯林斯例句
- 2. We were in a disaster situation that defies description.
- 我們陷入了難以言表的糟糕處境。
來自柯林斯例句
- 3. The President described the disaster as an act of God.
- 總統將這場災難說成是天災。
來自柯林斯例句
- 4. An investigation is underway to find out how the disaster happened.
- 調查已經展開，以查明災難是如何發生的。
來自柯林斯例句
- 5. Investors were storing up a lot of cash in anticipation of disaster.
- 投資者預料會出現災難，正在儲備大量現金。
來自柯林斯例句