| 单词 | 许多人 |
| 释义 | 〔panic〕A sudden, overpowering terror, often affecting many people at once.See Synonyms at fear 惊恐，恐慌：一种突然的难以抗拒的恐惧，常常同时影响许多人 参见 fear〔number〕Numbers of people visited the fair.许多人参加了商品展销会〔potpourri〕"In the minds of many, the real and imagined causes for Russia's defeats quickly mingled into a potpourri of terrible fears"(W. Bruce Lincoln)“在许多人的脑海里，俄国失败的真正原因及想象出来的原因很快就混合成了可怕的恐惧”(W.布鲁斯·林肯)〔claustrophobic〕This latter usage was unacceptable to 74 percent of the members of the Usage Panel,many of whom said thatclaustrophobic should be used only to describe a psychological state. In defense of this usage,however, it can be pointed out that it is well establishedand that it follows a general tendencyto combine adjectives with nouns according to a progressively looser construal of the semantic connection between the two.Thus the phrasetopless swimsuit came to be followed by topless dancers, which led in turn totopless bars, topless districts, and topless ordinances. By the same token,a room that induces a particular emotion may be described assad or cheerful without objection, and there seems to be no principled basis for drawing the line at calling itclaustrophobic. 后种用法为用法使用小组中74%的成员所不接受，其中许多人说claustrophobic 应只能用来描述一种心理状态。 为维护这种用法，毕竟要指出这种用法已经很好地确定了下来，并且它跟随一种普遍倾向，即通过对形容词与名词之间语义联系积极的、更密切的解释将两者合并。这样，词组topless swimsuit 导引出 topless dancers， 随之又引出topless bars，topless district 和 topless ordinance 。 用同样的表示法，导致一种特殊情绪的状况可描述为无任何异议的sad 或 cheerful ， 称其为claustrophobic 似乎不存在什么描述性的原则 〔critique〕Critique has been used as a verb meaning "to review or discuss critically" since the 18th century, but lately this usage has gained much wider currency,in part because the verbcriticize, once neutral between praise and censure, is now mainly used in a negative sense. (One is not likely to say, for example,She criticized the bill approvingly. ) But this use ofcritique is still regarded by many as pretentious jargon; 69 percent of the Usage Panel rejects the sentence Critique 这一词自从18世纪以来作为动词的意思是“批判性地评论或讨论”， 然而近来这一用法变得更为通用，部分由于动词criticize 这一原先介于赞扬和苛评之间的词现主要用于否定意义中。 （人们不太可能说，比如她赞成地批判这个法案。 ) 但是critique 的这一用法仍被许多人认为是做作难懂的话； 用法专题使用小组69%的成员否认这种句子 〔Tetzel〕German monk who was appointed to sell indulgences to raise funds for the Catholic Church. His simplistic and unorthodox sermons, regarded by many as symptomatic of the abuses within the Church, provoked Martin Luther to write his 95 theses (1517).泰臣，约翰：(1465?-1519) 被指派为他人赦罪而为基督教堂募捐的德国修士。他的过于简单的和非正的布道，被许多人认为是教会内滥权的征兆，激起马丁·路德写了他的95篇文章(1517年）〔effluence〕"tremendous emotional effluences that affected blocks of people at a time, causing them to walk faster"(Coleman Dowell)“极度的感情流露影响了当时的许多人，使他们走得更快了”(科尔蔓·道尔)〔stalactite〕The wordsstalagmite and stalactite have confused many a person. A look into the history of the Greek sources of these two words may help.Both words can be traced back to the wordstalassein, "to drip,” which is appropriatesince both words denote deposits in caves formed by the dripping of mineral-rich water.The Greek base from whichstalassein was formed was stalak- and to this base were added several endings that concern us,specifically-ma, a noun suffix most frequently denoting the result of an action, -mo-, a suffix denoting the action of a verb as well as a result, and -to-, an adjective suffix forming verbal adjectives. With these suffixes and the addition of the inflectional endings, as well as a sound change from (k) to (g) before (m),we getstalagma, "that which drops, a drop,” stalagmos, "dropping, dripping of stalactites,” and stalaktos, "dropping, dripping.” Using these Greek words,Olaus Wormius formed the Modern Latin wordstalactītēs, the stalac- part meaning "dripping" and the-ītēs part being commonly used to name fossils and minerals when preceded by a form expressing a physical characteristic, in this case "dripping.” Wormius also used the termstalagmītēs, the stalag- portion expressing the notion of what drops, taken either fromstalagma, "that which drops, a drop,” or stalagmos, "dropping of stalactites.” Stalactītēs and stalagmītēs, of course, are the sources of our English words stalactite (first recorded in 1677), the formation on the tops of caves, and stalagmite (first recorded in 1681), the formation on the bottoms of caves. They have been causing trouble ever since.单词stalagmite 和 stalactite 令许多人混淆。 对这两个词的希腊起源历史进行研究可能会帮助理解。这两个字都能追溯到单词stalassein （“滴下”）， 这是很恰当的，因为两个字都表示洞里由富含矿物的水下滴而形成的沉积。形成stalassein 的希腊根源是 stalak- ， 在这个根源上加上几个与我们有关的词尾，特别是-ma （往往用来表示动作结果的名词后缀）， -mo- （用来表示动词的动作和结果的后缀）和 -to- （形成动词性形容词的形容词后缀）。 通过这些后缀和屈折变化词尾的添加以及在(m)前面由(k)到(g)的变音，我们得到了stalagma （“滴下的东西，一滴”）、 stalagmos “滴，滴下钟乳石”和 stalaktos （“落下，滴下的”）。 利用这些希腊字，奥罗斯·沃米斯组成了现代拉丁单词stalactites ， stalac- 意指“滴”。 而-ites 当由一个表示物理特征的形式开头时，通常用来表示化石和矿物，指“滴下”。 沃米斯也使用stalagmites ， stalag- 表示滴下的东西的概念， 源于stalagma （“滴下的东西，一滴”）或 stalagmos （“滴下的钟乳石”）。 stalacitites 和 stalagmites ，当然是我们的英语单词 stalactite （首次出现于1677年）即洞穴顶部的形成物和 stalagmite （最早记载于1681年）即洞穴底部的形成物的源头。 自那以后它们就常造成一些麻烦〔prevailing〕"The speculation which for some time was rife concerning [the book's] authorship made many turn to it" (Samuel Butler). “关于 作者的推测一度非常流行，这使得许多人都注意到了那本书” （塞缪尔·巴特勒）。 〔refract〕"In the Quartet reality is refracted through a variety of eyes"(Elizabeth Kastor)“在这个四重奏中，现实通过许多人的眼睛的折射而改变”(伊丽莎白·卡斯托)〔oyez〕Hearing the cry "Oyez, oyez, oyez,” in a courtroommay have puzzled more than one auditor,especially if pronounced "O yes.” (Many people have thought that in fact it is likeO yes. ) This cry serves to remind us that up until the 18th century,speaking English in a British court of law was not requiredand one could instead use Law French,a form of French that evolved after the Norman Conquest, when Anglo-Norman became the language of the official class in England.Oyez descends from the Anglo-Norman oyez, the plural imperative form ofoyer, "to hear"; thusoyez means "hear ye" and was used as a call for silence and attention. Although it would have been much heard in Medieval England,it is first recorded as an English word fairly late in the Middle English period,in a work composed around 1425.在审判室里听到"Oyez，oyez，oyez"的声音，被迷惑的不仅仅是一个听者，尤其是当它的发音为"O yes"时。（许多人本认为事实上它象Oyes。 ) 这叫声用来提醒我们一直用到18世纪，当时不要求在英国法庭上讲英语，且人们可用法国法律，这是在诺曼底征服之后，当盎格鲁-诺曼语言成为英格兰官方阶级语言时发展起来的一种法语形式。Oyez 源于盎格鲁-诺曼语言 oyez， 是oyer 的复数祈使动词，意思是“听”； oyez 并被用来作为要求安静和注意的号令。 虽然这个词在中世纪的英格兰听得较多，但它第一次作为英语单词被记录下来是在中古英语时期的后期 ，出现于1425年左右创作的一本作品上〔dissociable〕To many, drugs and crime are not dissociable.对许多人来说，吸毒和犯罪是不可分开的〔press〕To shake hands and mingle with many people, especially while campaigning for public office.拥挤：握手并和许多人混在一起，尤指在竞选公职时〔soldier〕Why do soldiers fight?One answer is hidden away in the wordsoldier itself. Its first recorded occurrence is found in a work composed around 1300,the word having come into Middle English (assoudier ) from Old French soudoior and Anglo-Norman soudeour. The Old French word,first recorded in the 12th century,is derived fromsol or soud, Old French forms of Modern French sou. There is no longer a French coin namedsou, but the meaning of the wordsou alerts us to the fact that money is involved. Indeed, Old Frenchsol referred to a coin and also meant "pay,”and asoudoior was a man who fought for pay. This was a concept worth expressing in an era when many men were not paid for fighting but did it in service to a feudal superior.Thussoldier is parallel to the word mercenary, which goes back to Latinmercēnnārius, derived frommerces, "pay,” and meaning "working for pay.”The word could also be used as a noun,one of whose senses was "a soldier of fortune.”士兵们为什么而打仗?其中一个答案就隐藏在soldier 这个单词里面。 在大约1300年的一本著作中发现了这个词的最早记载。这个词由古法语的soudoior 和盎格鲁诺曼底语中的 soudeour 进入中古英语（形式为 soudier )。 古法语中的这个单词，最早记录于12世纪，是由sol 或 soud ，现代法语单词 sou 的古法语形式衍变而来的。 已经没有叫做sou 的法国硬币了， 但是单词sou 的意思使我们意识到这和钱有关。 实际上，古法语中的sol 指的是一枚硬币， 也意味着“报酬”，而soudoior 是一个为了报酬而打仗的人。 在许多人打仗并没有得到报酬而是给封建王服役的时代里，这种概念是值得表达出来的。这样，士兵(soldier) 类似于 雇佣兵(mercenary) ， 可以追溯到拉丁文mercennarius ， 由merces “报酬”衍变而来， 意思是“为报酬而工作”。这个词也能当名词使用，其中的一个意思是“雇佣兵”〔shivaree〕Shivaree is the most common American regional form of charivari, a French word meaning "a noisy mock serenade for newlyweds"and probably deriving in turn from a Late Latin word meaning "headache.”The term, most likely borrowed from French traders and settlers along the Mississippi River,was well established in the United States by 1805;an account dating from that year describes a shivaree in New Orleans: "The house is mobbed by thousands of the people of the town, vociferating and shouting with loud acclaim . . . many[are] in disguises and masks; and all have some kind of discordant and noisy music, such as old kettles, and shovels, and tongs. . . . All civil authority and rule seems laid aside" (John F. Watson).The wordshivaree is especially common along and west of the Mississippi River, giving it an unusual north-south dialect boundary (most dialect boundaries run east-west in the United States).Alva L. Davis and Raven I. McDavid, Jr., callshivaree "one of the most widely distributed folk terms borrowed by American English from any European language.” Some regional equivalents arebelling, used in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio; horning, from upstate New York, Rhode Island, and western New England; andserenade, a term used chiefly in the South Atlantic states. Shivaree 是 charivari 这个词在美国的最普通的地方形式， charivari是个法语词，意思是“一种为新婚夫妇演奏的喧闹的嘲弄式小夜曲”，这个词本身可能是从一个意思为“头痛”的后期拉丁文演变而来。这个词极有可能是从密西西比河沿岸的法国商人和拓居者那儿借用而来，到了1805年这个词已经在美国深深地扎根了；一份可以追溯到这一年的记录描写了新奥良的演奏这种小夜曲的情况： “房子里挤满了成千从镇上来的人，喧嚷着，叫喊着，大声欢呼…许多人 化了装，带了面具，所有的人都搞出某种不和协、喧闹的音响，比如用旧水壶，铲子，钳子…一切世俗的权威和规则好象已经被放到了一边” （约翰F·华生） 。shivaree 这个词在密西西比河沿岸和该河以西尤为常见， 这样密西西比河就成了一个不寻常的方言区的南北分界线（而在美国大多数方言区的分界线都是东西向的）。阿尔瓦·L·戴维斯和小拉文·I·麦克戴维把shivaree 这个词称为“美国英语从欧洲语言中借来的民间用语中流传最广的一个”。 其它地方方言中相当于这个词的词有belling 在宾夕法尼亚州、弗吉尼亚西部和俄亥俄州流传； 纽约州上半部份，罗德岛州，新英格兰西部的horning ， 而大西洋沿岸南部各州主要用serenade 这个词 〔scad〕Scads of people are in the hall.许多人在大厅里〔herd〕A large number of people; a crowd:一群：许多人；一群人：〔score〕Scores of people attended the rally.有许多人参加了示威活动〔intervale〕Intervale is among the distinctive New England terms mapped by Hans Kurath in the Linguistic Atlas of New England in the 1940's. However, by the time the Dictionary of American Regional English surveyed the New England states 20 years later, says Craig M. Carver, author of American Regional Dialects, only three of the dozens of New England informants used the word intervale to indicate a "tract of low-lying land, especially along a river.” The word was common in New England at one time because so many settlements were made along the rivers, where the land was more fertile and the towns were accessible by water. Intervale 在汉斯·科拉斯于20世纪40年代绘制的 新英格兰语言地图 中属于有特色的英格兰名词。然而20年后 美国地区英语字典 调查新英格兰各州时，克雷格·M·卡弗， 美国地区方言 的作者，认为几十个英格兰地区讲本地话的人中只有三个使用 intervale 表示“大片地势低的土地，尤指沿河的滩地”。这个词在新英格兰很普通是因为许多人沿河定居，以及沿河的地区土地较为肥沃且通过水路也易于到达城镇 〔art〕"Self-criticism is an art not many are qualified to practice"(Joyce Carol Oates)“自我批评是一种许多人尚不能胜任的艺术”(乔伊丝·卡罗尔·奥茨)〔see〕Many saw her as a world leader.许多人把她当作世界领袖〔Dukhobor〕A member of an 18th-century Russian Christian group, many of whom migrated to Canada in the 1890's to escape persecution for their views, which included rejection of ecclesiastical and state authority.杜科波尔派：18世纪俄国一基督教团体的成员，他们中许多人在19世纪90年代移民加拿大，以逃避因他们的观点所受的迫害，他们主张抛弃教会与政府的权威〔abstinence〕"To many, total abstinence is easier than total moderation" (Saint Augustine). “对许多人来说，完全适度比完全禁欲更难做到” （圣·奥古斯丁）。〔domination〕Mastery or supremacy over another or others.主宰：支配或统治另一个人或其他许多人〔beefeater〕Tourists in England who have seen the warders of the Tower of London and the Yeomen of the Guard know that these men dressed in 15th-century uniforms are calledbeefeaters. Not all tourists are aware, however, that the original use of the term (recorded in 1610) was pejorative,referring to a well-fed servant.In a work published before 1628 the word was also said to have been used contemptuously by the French for an Englishman or an English soldier.The wordbeefeater has thus risen in the world, for the well-fed, well-muscled beefeaters of today (this use was first recorded in 1671) are considered by many to be a national treasure. 到英国旅游见到过伦敦塔的皇家侍卫都知道这些身着15世纪制服的人叫伦敦塔卫士。 但并不是所有的游客都注意到了，这个词最早用作轻蔑语（载于1610年），是指吃得很好的仆人。在1628年前发表的一篇文章中，这个词也被法国人用来蔑称英国人或英国士兵。由于今天营养充足，肌肉发达的皇家侍卫（该意最早使用刊载于1671年）被许多人认为是英国的国宝，伦敦塔卫士 一词于是开始广为流传 〔that〕The standard rule isthatthat should be used only to introduce a restrictive (or "defining") relative clause, which serves to identify the entity being talked about;in this useit should never be preceded by a comma.Thus, we sayThe house that Jack built has been torn down, where the clausethat Jack built tells which house was torn down, orI am looking for a book that is easy to read, wherethat is easy to read tells what kind of book is desired. Onlywhich is to be used with nonrestrictive (or "nondefining") clauses, which give additional information about an entity that has already been identified in the context;in this use,which is always preceded by a comma. Thus, we sayThe students in Chemistry 10 have been complaining about the textbook, which (not that ) is hard to follow. The clausewhich is hard to follow does not indicate which text is being complained about; even if it were omitted,we would know that the phrasethe textbook refers to the text in Chemistry 10. The use ofthat in nonrestrictive clauses like this, though once common in writing and still frequent in speech,is best avoided in formal style. ·Some grammarians have argued that symmetry requires thatwhich should be used only in nonrestrictive clauses, asthat is to be used only in restrictive clauses. Thus, they suggest that we should avoid sentences such asI need a book which will tell me all about city gardening, where the clausewhich will tell me all about city gardening indicates which sort of book is needed. Such use ofwhich is useful where two or more relative clauses are joined by and or or, as inIt is a philosophy in which the common man may find solace and which many have found reason to praise. Which is also preferred to introduce a restrictive relative clausewhen the preceding phrase itself contains athat, as inI can only give you that which I don't need (not that that I don't need ) or We want to assign only that book which will be most helpful (preferred tothat book that will be most helpful ). · That may be omitted in a relative clause when the subject of the clause is different from the referent of the phrase preceding the clause. Thus, we may say eitherthe book that I was reading or the book I was reading, where the subject of the clause (I ) is not the referent of the phrase the book. Omission ofthat in these cases has sometimes been described as incorrect, but the practice is extremely common and has ample precedent in reputable writing. ·There have also been occasional objections to the omission ofthat in its use to introduce a subordinate clause, as inI think we should try again. But this usage is entirely idiomatic and is in fact favored with some of the verb phrases that can introduce such clauses:thus, one would more normally write 标准规则中，that 应只被用于引导限定性（或“确定的”）关系从句， 这些从句用于明确正被谈论的实体；在这种情况下，前面决不能有逗号。因此，我们说杰克建的房子已经拆毁了 ， 在这里，从句杰克所建的 指明哪幢房子被拆毁了， 或者我正在找一本易读的书 ， 在这里，易读的 指明哪类书是需要的。 只有which 用于非限定性（或“不确定的”）从句中， 为已经在上下文中定义的实体提供附加信息；在此用法中，which 之前总有逗号。 因此，我们说化学10班的学生一直在抱怨这课本，实在 （不是 that ) 是太难懂了 。 从句which is hard to follow 并不指明哪一课本被抱怨； 即使它被省略，我们也知道the textbook 指化学10班的课本。 That 象这样用于非限定性从句中， 虽然在写作中曾很普遍而且在口语中依然频繁出现，但在正式文体中最好避免使用。一些语法学家认为对称性要求which 应只用于非限定性从句中， 就象that 只用于限定性从句中。 因此，他们建议我们应该避免诸如我需要一本关于城市园艺的书 这样的句子， 这里从句which will tell me all about city gardening 指明需要何种书。 当两个或多个关系从句被and 或 or 连接时， which 的这种用法很有用， 如是哲学使普通人找到慰藉并使许多人有理由去称颂。 Which 也用作引导限定性关系从句，在当前置短语中含有that 时， 如我只能给你我不需要的东西 （不是 that that I don't need )或 我们只想分发那本最用的书 （好于that book that will be most helpful )。 当从句主语与从句前短语所指不一致时，that 在关系从句中可以省略。 因此，我们可以说the book that I was reading 或者 the book I was reading 。 在这里，从句主语(I )和短语 the book 的主语不同。 在这些情况下，that 的省略有时被认为是错误的， 但是这在实际中极普遍而且在规范写作中有充分的先例。对于that 用于引导从句时被省略偶然持有异议， 如在我认为我们应该再试一次 中。 但这种用法完全符合语法而且实际上有一些引导这样从句的短语支持；因此，可以正常应用 〔rub〕"One can see . . . how[his] expression of his ideals and intentions must have rubbed many people the wrong way" (Christopher Lehmann-Haupt)“能够看出…[他的] 观念与意图的表达是如何激怒许多人的” (克里斯托弗·莱曼——豪普特)〔save〕The smallpox vaccine has saved many lives.天花疫苗挽救了许多人的生命。〔hive〕To live with many others in close association.聚居：很密切地和许多人住在一起〔dichotomy〕"the dichotomy of the one and the many"(Louis Auchincloss)“一个人与许多人的二分法”(路易斯·奥金克洛斯)〔data〕Data originated as the plural of Latin datum, "something given,” and many maintain that it must still be treated as a plural form.The New York Times, for example, adheres to the traditional rule in this headline:“ Data 来源于拉丁文 datum “给予的事物”的复数形式， 而且许多人坚持它必须仍然被当作复数形式。例如纽约时报， 就遵循这条传统规则， 在这条大字标题中：“ 〔greed〕"Many . . . attach to competition the stigma of selfish greed"(Henry Fawcett)“许多人把竞争同自私贪婪的耻辱联系在一起”(亨利·福西特)〔dormitory〕A room providing sleeping quarters for a number of persons.大寝室：可供许多人睡的大寝室〔neighbor〕Loving one's neighbor as oneself would be much easier,or perhaps much more difficult,if the wordneighbor had kept to its etymological meaning. The source of our word,the assumed West Germanic form.nāhgabūr, was a compound of the words.nēhwiz, "near,” and .būram, "dweller, especially a farmer.” A neighbor, then, was a near dweller.Nēahgebūr, the Old English descendant of this West Germanic word, and its descendant in Middle English, neighebor, and our Modern English neighbor have all retained the literal notion,even though one can now have many neighbors whom one does not know,a situation that would have been highly unlikely in earlier times.The extension of this word to mean "fellow" is probably attributable to the Christian concern with the treatment of one's fellow human beings,as in the passage in Matthew 19:19 that urges love of one's neighbor.象爱自己一样爱邻居会更容易，也可能更难，如果neighbor 这个词保持其词源意义的话。 这个词的来源，假定在西日耳曼语中形式为nahgabur， 是nehwiz “附近的”和 buram “居住者，尤指农夫”的合成词。 那么邻居就是附近的居住者。Neahgebur 这个西日耳曼词发展的古英语形式， 中世纪英语形式nerghebor 及现代英语 neighbor 形式， 都保持了字面意义，即使现在一个可能有许多人都不认识的邻居，这是一种以前很不可能有的情况。这个词的引申意义“人”大概出自基督徒关心如何对待世人，比如在《马太19：19》中就有要求热爱自己邻居的篇章〔nonstandard〕The termnonstandard was introduced by linguists and lexicographers to describe usages and language varieties that had previously been labeled with terms such as vulgar and illiterate. Nonstandardis not simply a euphemism but reflects the empirical discoverythat the varieties used by low-prestige groups have rich and systematic grammatical structuresand that their stigmatization more often reflects a judgment about their speakersrather than any inherent deficiencies in logic or expressive power.Note, however, that the use of nonstandard forms is not necessarily restricted to the communities with which they are associated in the public mind.Many educated speakers freely use forms such ascan't hardly or ain't I to set a popular or informal tone. · Some dictionaries use the termsubstandard to describe forms, such asain't, associated with uneducated speech, while reservingnonstandard for forms such as irregardless, which are common in writingbut are still regarded by many as uneducated.Butsubstandard is itself susceptible of disparaging interpretation, and most linguists and lexicographers now use onlynonstandard, the practice followed in this Dictionary.词条nonstandard 被语言学家和词典编辑人引进用来描述以前已被词条，例如 vulgar 和 illiterate归类的用法和语言种类。 Nonstandand不只是委婉的说法， 而且反映了凭经验得到的发现：被具有权威的群体所用的语种有丰富而且系统的语法结构，而且这些误解被轻蔑描绘更经常地反映了对其说话者的判断，而不是对任何天生的逻辑和表达力的缺乏。然而，要注意，非标准语形式的运用并不必要限制于在公众心目中与其所联系的团体。许多受过教育的说话者自由地用这些形式如can't hardly 或者 ain't I 说流行或非正式的句子。 有些字典用substandard 来描述此类形式， 如ain't， 并与未受教育的言语相联系， 而同时保留nonstandard 用来形容 irregardless 这一类形式， 这些形式普遍用于写作中，但仍被许多人认为是未受教育的用法。但是substandard 本身很容易引起贬低含义的翻译， 大多数语言学家和词典编辑现在只用nonstandard， 在此词典后边有练习〔poop〕"Many people stop here, pooped by the short, steep climb"(Sierra Club Guides to the National Parks)“许多人在这里停下来，因为爬上这陡峭的山坡使他们精疲力尽”(峰峦俱乐部之国家公园指南)〔medium〕The etymologically plural formmedia is often used as a singular to refer to a particular means of communication,as inThis is the most exciting new media since television. This usage is widely regarded as incorrect;medium is preferred. A stronger case can be made in defense of the use ofmedia as a collective term, as inThe media has not shown much interest in covering the issue. As with the analogous wordsdata and agenda, the originally plural form has begun to acquire a sense that departs from that of the singular: used as a collective term,media denotes an industry or community. Thus the example sentence given here would not be appropriately paraphrased asNo medium has shown much interest in covering the issue, which suggests that the disinclination abides in the means of communication itselfrather than in its practitioners.Ifmedia follows the pattern of data and agenda, this singular use may become entirely acceptable someday.But despite its utility,many people still regard it as a grammatical error.语源复数形式media 常用作单数， 用来指传播手段中的某一种，例如在下面这是自电视出现以来最激动人心的新式传媒 的句子中。 许多人都认为这一用法是不正确的；他们还是喜欢用medium 这一单数形式。 我们能提出更为有力的例子来为media 作为集合名词的用法进行辩护， 如下面的句子：大众传媒对于报道这一事件没有表现出多大兴趣 。 正如类似于原为复数形式的其他两个词data 和 agenda 已经开始具有其单数形式的含义： 用作集合名词的media 现在则可以指传播工业或共同体。 这样的话，我们刚才给出的例句就不能改成如下形式：没有传媒对报道这一事件表现出很大兴趣 ， 因为这样改动后，这句话所表示的是传播工具本身的不愿意，而不是业者的不愿意。如果media 也象 data 和 agenda 那样， 那么它作为单数形式的用法总有一天会被完全接受的。但是不管它的实用性大小，许多人仍将其视为一个语法错误〔strange〕Many consider Berlioz's compositions to be innovative but eccentric.许多人认为柏辽兹的作品富有创新力，但与习俗格格不入。〔Seveso〕A town of northern Italy northwest of Milan. In July, 1976, a ruptured valve at a chemical plant here released a cloud of dioxin, injuring many people.西佛梭：意大利北部米兰西北的城镇。1976年7月，当地一座化工厂阀门破裂，释放出的戴奥辛云伤害了许多人〔retire〕Despite the upbeat books written about retiringand the fact that it is a well-earned time of relaxation from the daily rigors of work,many people do not find it a particularly pleasant prospect.Perhaps the etymology ofretire may hint at why. The ultimate source of our word is the Old French wordretirer, made up of the prefixre-, meaning in this case "back,” and the verb tirer, "to draw,” together meaning "to take back or withdraw.” The first use of the English wordretire is recorded in 1533 in reference to a military force that withdraws.It is not until 1667 that we find the word used to mean "to withdraw from a position for more leisure.”In regard to the sting in all thiswe need to look at the source oftirer, "to draw, draw out, endure,”which ultimately may be from Old Frenchmartir, "a martyr,” probably reflecting the fact that martyrs had to endure the torture of being stretched up to and beyond the point of dislocating their bones.尽管有关于退休的乐观书籍，以及退休是从日常工作的严酷中解放出来的极好时光的事实，许多人并没有发现它特别令人愉悦的地方。也许retire 的语源学暗示了原因。 这个词最早的来源是古法语单词retirer ， 由在此意指“向后”的前缀re- 及意为“拉”的动词 tiver 合在一起组成，意为“撤回或退回”。 英语单词retire 的使用则最早记录于1553年， 指撤退的军队。直到1667年我们才发现该词用于表达“为得到更多的闲暇而退出职位。”考虑到所有这些词的负面含义，我们有必要看看tirer 的词源， 其意为“拉，拉出，容忍，”它可能最初源于意为“殉道者”的古法语martir ， 这可能反映了一个事实，即殉者不得不忍受四肢被拉直至骨肉脱离的酷刑 |
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