symptom: [16] A symptom is etymologically something that ‘happens’ – an occurrence or phenomenon. The word’s application to physiological phenomena as signs of disease is a secondary development. It comes via late Latin symptōma from Greek súmptōma ‘occurrence’, a derivative of sumpíptein ‘fall together’, hence ‘fall on, happen to’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and píptein ‘fall’.
symptom (n.)
1540s, re-Latinized from sinthoma (late 14c.), from Medieval Latin sinthoma "symptom of a disease," altered from Late Latin symptoma, from Greek symptoma "a happening, accident, disease," from stem of sympiptein "to befall, happen; coincide, fall together," from assimilated form of syn- "together" (see syn-) + piptein "to fall," from PIE *pi-pt-, reduplicated form of root *pet- "to rush; to fly" (see petition (n.)).
Spelling restored in early Modern English in part by influence of Middle French symptome (16c.). General (non-medical) use is from 1610s.
雙語例句
1. One prominent symptom of the disease is progressive loss of memory.
這種疾病的一個顯著症狀就是記憶逐漸喪失。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Victoria was strangely undisturbed by this symptom, even though her husband and family were frightened.
盡管丈夫和家人都嚇壞了，維多利亞卻對這一症狀出奇地淡定。
來自柯林斯例句
3. It is probable that the medication will suppress the symptom without treating the condition.
這種藥物有可能治標不治本。
來自柯林斯例句
4. Was the noise a cause of the illness, or were the complaints about noise merely a symptom?
噪音是病因呢, 還是對噪音的抱怨僅僅是一種症狀 呢 ?
來自《用法詞典》
5. Your problem with keeping boyfriends is just a symptom of a larger problem: making and keeping friends.