解析检验美高中生英文水平的100词
尽管只有100个词,但仍然可以找到最少15组同源词,也有含相同构词成分(如后缀-ous, -ate 等)的不少词。
词源解词必然会涉及音变知识,因前边博文里已经有这方面的内容,故涉及音变的主要在“点”。
1. kowtow/ˏkauˈtau; kaʊˋtaʊ/(来自汉语的koutou)
v . ~ (to sb/sth) to show sb in authority too much respect and be too willing to obey them 叩头;磕头;卑躬屈膝;唯命是从
We will not kowtow to the government.
Europe/ˈjuərəp US ˈjur-/(在来源上不确定,传统上一直同Europa“欧罗巴”联系在一起:腓尼基王Agenor阿革诺耳的女儿,被宙斯化作白牛劫到克里特,生下三个儿子。eur=eury宽,op脸,眼,Europa表示宽阔的脸庞、宽额或大眼睛的,作为欧洲大陆,本身的意思为“西”方或“日落”的地方→)
n. 欧洲
European/juərəˈpɪən; ˏjʊrəˋpiən/(Europe欧洲,-an…的,属于)
a. 欧洲的,欧洲人的
n. 欧洲人
2. euro/juərəu/(来自Eurocurrency的缩写和变化,curr跑→移动→流动,-ency 名词后缀;不断流动的东西→currency 货币;通行,流行)
n. a unit of money that can be used in most countries of the European Union 欧元
Prices are given in pounds and euros.
nanometer 其实是“(矮)小”“米”, meter 是“米”,音译“纳米”,nano代表“纳”,指的是10-9数量级(one billionth),当然是很“小”了,nano中的o是连接字母,故nan代表“小”,而在普通词汇中,nan 代表 little old woman,nun与nan比较,仅是元音字母发生变化。
nun/nʌn; nʌn/(来自后期拉丁语 nonna ‘an old woman’)
n. 修女,尼姑
3. nanotechnology/ˌnænəutekˈnɔlədʒi US -noutekˈnɑː-/(nano代表nanometer,technology技术,即:any technology on the scale of nanometers →)
n. 纳米技术
Despite the growing pains, many experts say nanotechnology is catching on much faster than they had expected.
technology, text 还有toilet都是简单词,它们都与一个词根tect同源。
text, techn, tect 编织,编造,造
印欧词根形式为*teks-,techn, tecton均为带后缀的形式。
architect里的tect其实是来自希腊语的tekton “木匠,建造者,制造者”,tect造→带后缀的形式tecton.
4. tectonic/tek'tɑnɪk/(tect造→带后缀的形式tecton木匠,建造者,制造者,-ic形容词后缀;属于和建造者、建筑有关的→)
a. 1. of or pertaining to building or construction; constructive; architectural 建筑(学)的;构造的;
2. (geology) connected with the structure of the earth's surface 【地质学】地壳构造的
...the tectonic plates of the Pacific region which are separating from the East Pacific Ridge.
tauto看起来是不是有些怪异?其实它来自希腊语 to auto ,其中的to 是中性定冠词,意思是the,也与the同源。auto是“自己,自身”,tauto就是the same
dialogue 是两个人之间的“对话”,词根为log,还有apology里的log。lecture等含同源词根。
印欧词根*leg-“收集,说”对应lex“说”。
希腊语λογος (logos )表示:
1. 话,话语;
2. 谈话,对话;
3. 字,词;
4. 话题,主题;
5. 原理,原则,准则,规律。
-logy 表示:
1. …学,…论;2. 说话,语词
所以不要仅限于知道 -ology 是“…学”,要知道 -o- + -logy = -ology,而-logy 与词根lect等紧密联系着。
也要明白为什么把nanotechnology, tautology, lexicon 要放在一起?
5. tautology/tɔːˈtɔlədʒɪ; tɔˋtɑlədʒɪ/(tauto相同的,-logy说话,语词)
n. a statement in which you say the same thing twice in different words, when this is unnecessary, for example 'They spoke in turn, one after the other.' 同义反复;赘述
'The money should be adequate enough' is an example of tautology.
6. lexicon/ ˈleksɪkən; US -kɔn; ˋlɛksɪkɑn/(lex(is) 说话,措辞,词语,-ic 形容词后缀,对应希腊语的-ikos,lexicon来自希腊语lexikos的中性,即最后的-on属于语法变化带来的;属于词语的→)
n. 1. technical all the words and phrases used in a language or that a particular person knows (某语言或学科、某人或群体使用的)全部词汇
2. a list of words on a particular subject or in a language in alphabetical order(某学科或语言的)词汇表
3. a dictionary, especially one of an ancient language, such as Greek or Hebrew(尤指希腊语或希伯来语等古代语言的)词典, 字典
Chocolate equals sin in most people's lexicon.
a cute little baby 里的cute来自acute,包括acid 在内,都含有词根:
ac 尖
印欧词根形式为*ak-。
7. acumen/ˈækjumen/(ac尖→带后缀的形式acu削尖,变锋利,敏锐,-men 名词后缀;理解、判断等尖锐、敏锐→)
n. [U] the ability to understand and judge things quickly and clearly 敏锐; 精明; 聪明
The firm's success is largely due to Brannon's commercial acumen.
化学符号O大家都知道吧?很多酸中都含有“氧”,Antonie Laurent Lavoisier当初认为氧存在于所有酸中,oxygen的字面意思是“产生(gen)酸(oxy)的物质”,酸acid的词根ac与氧oxygen里的oxy为同源词根
oxide/ˈɔksaɪd; ˋɑksaɪd/(来自法语oxygene=oxygen + acide=acid,氧和另一种元素或基团的化合物→)n. 氧化物
8. oxidize/ˈɔksɪdaɪz/(oxide=oxide,-ize treat or combine with使与…结合)
vt. (technical) to combine or to make sth combine with OXYGEN, especially when this causes metal to become covered with RUST(使)氧化;(使)生锈(因氧化而形成)
Aluminium is rapidly oxidized in air.
The original white lead pigments have oxidized and turned black.