| 单词 | 复数形式 |
| 释义 | 〔apostrophe〕The superscript sign (') used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word, the possessive case, and the plurals of numbers, letters, and abbreviations.撇号：写在字上方的符号（'），用来表示从单词中省略一个或几个字母、所有格形式及数字、字母、缩写的复数形式〔pant〕Trousers. Often used in the plural.裤子。常用复数形式〔fungible〕Something that is exchangeable or substitutable. Often used in the plural.代替物：可互换的或可替换的物品。常用复数形式〔trap〕Personal belongings or household goods. Often used in the plural.个人物品：个人物品或家具什物。通常用复数形式〔number〕As a collective nounnumber may take either a singular or a plural verb. It takes a singular verb when it is preceded by the definite articlethe : 作为一个集合名词，number 既可以跟动词单数形式也可以跟动词复数形式。 当它前面是定冠词the 时，后跟单数动词： 〔trouser〕An outer garment for covering the body from the waist to the ankles, divided into sections to fit each leg separately, worn especially by men and boys. Often used in the plural.裤子：尤指男性穿着的一种外衣，覆盖以腰际到脚踝的部分，分成两部分以分别适合每条腿，常用复数形式〔penthouse〕The wordpenthouse and the structure it denotes have both come a long way. The word goes back to Latinappendere, "to cause to be suspended.”In Medieval Latinappendere developed the sense "to belong, depend,” a sense that passed intoapendre, the Old French development ofappendere. Fromapent, the past participle of apendre, came the derivative apentiz, "low building behind or beside a house,” and the Anglo-Norman plural form pentiz. The form without thea- was then borrowed into Middle English, giving uspentis (first recorded about 1300), which was applied to sheds or lean-tos added on to buildings.Because these structures often had sloping roofs,the word was connected with the French wordpente, "slope,” and the second part of the word changed tohouse, which could mean simply "a building for human use.”The use of the term with reference to fancy penthouse apartments developed from the application of the word to a structure built on the roof to cover such things as a stairway or an elevator shaft.Penthouse then came to mean an apartment built on a rooftop and finally the top floor of an apartment building.单词penthouse 及其所代表的结构都经过了长期的演变。 此词可追溯至拉丁语appendere ， 意为“使悬浮”。在中世纪拉丁语中，appendere 的意思演变为“附属，依靠”， 是词形变为apendre 的意义， 由古法语appendere 发展而来。 从apendre 的过去分词 apent 产生出意为“房屋旁边或后面低矮的建筑”的派生词 apentiz 及盎格鲁-诺尔曼复数形式 pentiz 。 没有a- 的形式被借用到中世纪英语， 变成pentis （首次记载于1300年）， 用作加在建筑上的小棚或单倾斜面的小屋。因为这些结构常有斜屋顶，因此该词与法语词pente “斜面”有关， 且此词的第二部分变成house ， 只简单地意为“住人的建筑”。该词与使人想象楼顶房屋有关的使用源自需要用一个词来表示建在屋顶上用来遮挡楼梯或电梯通道的建筑。Penthouse 于是逐渐意为建在屋顶上的房间， 最终意为一个公寓楼的顶层〔desert〕When Shakespeare says in Sonnet 72,"Unless you would devise some virtuous lie,/To do more for me than mine own desert,”he is using the worddesert in the sense of "worthiness; deserving,” a word that is perhaps most familiar to us in the plural, meaning "something that is deserved,”as in the phrasejust deserts. This word goes back to the Latin worddēservīre, "to devote oneself to the service of,”which in Vulgar Latin came to mean "to merit by service.” Dēservīre is made up ofdē-, meaning "thoroughly,” and servīre, "to serve.” Knowing this,we can distinguish thisdesert from desert, "a wasteland,” and desert, "to abandon,” both of which go back to Latindēserere, "to forsake, leave uninhabited,” which is made up ofdē-, expressing the notion of undoing, and the verb serere, "to link together.” We can also distinguish all threedeserts from dessert, "a sweet course at the end of a meal,” which is from the French worddesservir, "to clear the table.” Desservir is made up ofdes-, expressing the notion of reversal, and servir (from Latin servīre ), "to serve,” hence, "to unserve" or "to clear the table.”当莎士比亚在第72首十四行诗中说：“除非你能编出善意的谎言/把我说得比我本人强得多”，这里desert 的意思就是“应得的东西”。 对这个词，我们最熟悉的大概是其复数形式（意思是“应得的东西”）。例如在词组just deserts 中。 该词的起源可以追溯到拉丁词deservire ， 意为“为…而献身”，在俗拉丁语中，意思就变成了“依据服务应得…”。 Deservire 由de- 意思是“完全地，彻底地”和 servire “服务”组成。 知道了这些，我们就可以把desert 与 desert “荒原”和 desert “放弃”区别开来。 后面两个意义可追溯到拉丁语deserere “遗弃，无人居住”， 它由de- 表示“不做”的概念和动词 serere “连接到一起”组成。 我们也能把所有这三个deserts 与 dessert “正餐最后上的一道甜食”区分开来， 后者来自法语词desservir “收拾桌子”。 Desservir 由表达“反，逆”概念的des- 和 servir 组成（来自拉丁语 servire ）， 意为“服务”、“因此“、“不上菜”或“清理桌子”〔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〔clove〕A flower bud of this plant, used whole or ground as a spice. Often used in the plural.丁香：这种植物的花苞，作为香料整个使用或磨碎后使用。常用复数形式〔passive〕One that is submissive or inactive. Often used in the plural:被动者：驯服或不活跃的人。常常以复数形式出现：〔graffito〕The formgraffiti, based on the Italian plural, is far more common than the singular form graffito. Graffitiis often used as a singular noun. When the reference is to a particular inscription (as inThere was a bold graffiti on the wall ), the formgraffito would be etymologically correct but might strike some readers as pedantic outside an archaeological context.There is no substitute for the singular use ofgraffiti when the word is used as a mass noun to refer to inscriptions in general or to the related social phenomenon. The sentenceGraffiti is a major problem for the Transit Authority Police cannot be rewordedGraffito is . . . (since graffito can refer only to a particular inscription) or Graffiti are . . . , which suggests that the police problem involves only the physical marks and not the larger issue of vandalism.In such contexts,the use ofgraffiti as a singular is justified by both utility and widespread precedent. 基于意大利语的复数形式graffiti 远比单数形式 graffito更普遍。 Graffiti常用作单数名词。 当意指一特定涂鸦物（如在墙上有一处下流的涂鸦 中）， graffito 的形式在词形变化上是正确的， 但可能会在古文化语境外使一些人显得迂腐。graffiti 的单数作物质名词使用来指涂鸦的总称或相应的社会现象时，是没有替代词的。 句子：涂鸦是公共交通警察局遇到的主要难题 ， 不能用Graffito is … 来替换（因为 graffito 只能指一具体的涂鸦）或用 Graffiti are … 来替换， 因其意指警察的问题只涉及存在的标记而不是破坏公物的大问题。在这些语境中，graffiti 作为单数形式的使用是被广泛使用的先例所证实的 〔percentage〕When preceded bya, it takes either a singular or plural verb,depending on the number of the noun in the prepositional phrase that follows: 当被放在a 后时， 可用动词单数或复数形式，这由后面所跟的介词短语中名词的数量而定： 〔outskirt〕The part or region remote from a central district, as of a city or town. Often used in the plural:市郊：远离（如城市或市镇）中心的部分或地区。常以复数形式出现：〔consol〕A government bond in Great Britain, originally issued in 1751, that pays perpetual interest and has no date of maturity. Often used in the plural. Also called bank annuity 联合公债：英国的一种政府公债，最初发行于1751年，支付永不还本的利息且没有到期日，常用作复数形式 也作 bank annuity〔gay〕The wordgay is now standard in its use to refer to the American homosexual community and its members;in this use it is generally lowercased.Gay is distinguished from homosexual in emphasizing the cultural and social aspects of homosexuality.Many writers reservegay for male homosexuals, but the word is also used to refer to homosexuals of both sexes;when the intended meaning is not clear in the context,the phrasegay and lesbian should be used. Like the other names of social groups that are derived from adjectives (e.g.,Black ), gay may be regarded as offensive when used as a noun to refer to particular individuals, as inThere were two gays on the panel; here a phrase such asgay people should be used instead. But there is no objection to the use of the noun in the pluralto refer to the general gay community,as inGays have united in opposition to the policy. See Usage Note at homosexual 单词gay 其用法已被普遍接受， 指的是美国的同性恋团体及其成员；在这种用法中，它一般小写。Gay 区别于 homosexual， 前者强调同性恋者的文化和社会方面。许多作家把gay 限定于男性同性恋者， 但这个单词也可用于指两种性别的同性恋者，当上下文的言外之意不太明确时，词组同性恋男性和同性恋女性 可以被使用。 就象其他从形容词派生来的社会群体名词一样（如，黑人 ）， gay 如果当作为一个名词使用，指一些特殊的个体时，可能会被认为带有攻击性， 如在There were two gays on the panel； 在此处应该用词组gay people 来代替。 但是并没有人反对其名词的复数形式，指一般的同性恋团体，如句子同性恋者们已经团结起来对抗政策 参见 homosexual〔none〕None can only be plural in its use in sentences such as None but his most loyal supporters believe (not believes ) his story. See Usage Note at every ,neither None 在句中只能用复数形式， 如除了他的最忠实的支持者外，没有人相信 （不是 believes ) 他的故事 参见 every,neither〔ort〕A small scrap or leaving of food after a meal is completed. Often used in the plural.片：一小块碎片或吃完饭后所剩的食物。经常用作复数形式〔the〕Used before the plural form of a numeral denoting a specific decade of a century or of a life span:用于指示一个世纪或一个生命跨度的某十年的数词复数形式之前：〔floodwater〕The water of a flood. Often used in the plural.洪水。常以复数形式出现〔plural〕A word or term in the plural form.复数词：复数形式的单词或术语〔antitrade〕The westerly winds above the surface trade winds of the tropics, which become the prevailing westerly winds of the middle latitudes. Often used in the plural.反信风：赤道地区地表信风上的西风，到中纬地区即变成了盛行西风。常用复数形式〔each〕Wheneach follows a plural subject, however, the verb and subsequent pronouns remain in the plural: 当each 位于一个复数主语后面， 则动词和其后的代词仍为复数形式： 〔conspiracy〕Machination, usually in the plural,strongly implies crafty, underhand dealing: Machination 常用其复数形式，强调一种诡计多端、偷偷摸摸的作法： 〔pilot〕The pilot of an aircraft flying through the air has a foot on the ground not literallybut etymologically.If we poke around in the etymological soil for the roots of the wordpilot, we find that it goes back to the Indo-European rootped-, meaning "foot.” From the lengthened-grade suffixed formpēdo- came the Greek word pēdon, "blade of an oar,” and in the plural, "rudder.” In Medieval Greekthere is assumed to have existed the derivativepēdōtēs, "steersman,” which passed into Old Italian and acquired several forms,includingpedota, and pilota, the form that was borrowed into Old French aspilot. English borrowed the word from French,and aspilot it has moved from the water to the air, first being recorded in 1848 with reference to an airborne pilot—a balloonist.飞行员一脚踩地飞进天空这句话字面上虽讲不通，但在词源上却可以。如果为找到pilot 的根源而溯其词源， 我们会发现它源自印欧语系词根ped- 意为“脚”。 从加长的这个词根的后缀形式pedo- 我们得到希腊词语 pedon “桨叶”及复数形式，“舵”。 在中世纪的希腊，据称曾存在派生词pedotes “舵手”， 该词进了古意大利语并添了一些形式，包括pedota 和 pilota ， 这些形式被法语借用过来，便成了pilot 。 英语又借自法语，随着pilot 从水上被移用到天上， 于1848年第一次用来指天上飞行员——热气球驾驶员〔process〕In recent yearsthere has been a tendency to pronounce the plural ending-es of processes as (-ēz), perhaps by analogy with words of Greek origin such asanalysis and neurosis. Butprocess is not of Greek origin, and there is no etymological justification for this pronunciation of its plural.The pronunciation may someday become so widespread as to be a standard variant,but it still strikes some listeners as a bungled affectation.近年来，有把processes 的复数词尾 -es 读成(-ez)的趋势， 这也许与源于希腊语的词analysis 和 neurosis 相似。 但是process 不是来源于希腊语， 因此从词源学的角度来说，其复数形式不应这么发音。或许有一天这种发音会被广泛采用而成为标准的变体，但仍有一些人听了这种发音后会觉得这是一种拙劣的矫揉造作〔or〕When all the elements are plural,the verb is plural.When the elements do not agree in number,some grammarians have suggested that the verb be governed by the element to which it is nearer: 当所有各项均为复数形式时，动词亦采用复数形式。当事物数量不统一时，有些语法学家主张动词形式由离它最近项（的单复数形式）决定： 〔tectrix〕One of the coverts of a bird's wing. Often used in the plural.覆羽：鸟翼的覆羽之一。常用复数形式〔pleb〕or perhaps from plebs [taken as pl.] 或可能源自 plebs [用作复数形式] 〔etiquette〕 Etiquette and the plural formproprieties denote the forms of conduct prescribed in polite society: Etiquette 和复数形式的proprieties 指的是文明社会中所规定的行为方式： 〔ethnic〕When in a Middle English text written before 1400it is said that a part of a temple fell down and "mad a gret distruccione of ethnykis,”one wonders why ethnics were singled out for death.The wordethnic in this context, however, means "gentile,” coming as it does from the Greek adjectiveethnikos, meaning "national, foreign, gentile.”The adjective is derived from the nounethnos, "people, nation, foreign people,” that in the plural phraseta ethnē meant "foreign nations.” In translating the Hebrew Bible into Greek,this phrase was used for Hebrewgōyīm, "gentiles"; hence the sense of the noun in the Middle English quotation.The nounethnic in this sense or the related sense "heathen" is not recorded after 1728, although the related adjective sense is still used. But probably under the influence of other words going back to Greekethnos, such asethnography and ethnology, the adjectiveethnic broadened in meaning in the 19th century. After this broadeningthe noun sense "a member of a particular ethnic group,”first recorded in 1945, came into existence.在一篇1400年以前的中古英语文章中写道，一座神殿的一部分倒塌了并“导致一个种族的彻底毁灭”，人们想知道为什么一个种族单单被挑出去死。但是ethnic 在这个上下文中的意思是“异教徒”， 来自于希腊语的形容词ethnikos ， 意为“民族的，外来的，异教的”。该形容词源自名词ethnos， 意为“民族、种族、外来人”， 它的复数形式ta ethne， 意为“外来民族”。 在把希伯来圣经翻译成希腊语的过程中，这一词组被用作希伯来语中的goyim， 意为“异教徒”； 因此名词的含意在中世纪英语被引用。即使相关含意讲的名词ethnic 在1728年之后也未被收录，尽管这时相关的形容词含义已被应用， 但大概在那些可追溯到古希腊语ethnos 的词， 如ethnograthy 和 ethnology 的影响下， 形容词ethnic 在19世纪时对词义进行了扩充。 这次扩充后，名词词意为“某一特定的种族群体中的一员”，在1945年被首次收录并开始存在〔pant〕Underpants. Often used in the plural.内裤。常用复数形式〔alumnus〕The fact that the pluralalumni of the masculine alumnus differs from the plural alumnae of the feminine alumna has created a certain amount of awkwardness with the advent of coeducational institutions.Most commonly,alumni is used for graduates of both sexes. But those who object to the choice of masculine forms in such cases may prefer the phrasealumni and alumnae or the form alumnae/i ; this is the choice, for example, of many women's colleges that have begun to admit men.alumni， 作为男校友 alumnus 的复数形式与 alumnae， 女校友 alumna 的复数形式两者不同的事实， 随着共同教育学院的出现而造成了许多麻烦。通常，alumni 用来指男女毕业生。 但那些反对选择阳性词的人可能会赞同使用词组alumniandalumnae 或者 alumnae/i 这种形式； 如很多已经开始招收男生的女子学院就选择了这种形式〔every〕Every is representative of a large class of English words and expressions that are singular in formbut felt to be plural in sense.The class includes, for example, noun phrases introduced byevery, any, and certain uses of some. These expressions invariably take a singular verb;we say Every car has (not have ) been tested. Anyone is (not are ) liable to fall ill. But when a sentence contains a pronoun whose antecedent is introduced byevery, grammar and sense pull in different directions.The grammar of these expressions requires a singular pronoun, as in Every car must have its brakes tested, but people persist in using the plural pronoun,as in Every car must have their brakes tested. Although the latter pattern is common in the speech of all groups,it is still widely regarded as grammatically incorrect in writing. ·The effort to adhere to the grammatical rule leads to various complications, however.The first is grammatical.When a pronoun refers to a phrase containingevery or any that falls within a different independent clause, the pronoun cannot be singular.Thus it is simply not English to sayEvery man left; he took his raincoat with him. Nor can one sayNo one could be seen, could he? Writers unwilling to use plural forms in these examples must find another way of expressing their meaning,either by rephrasing the sentence so as to get the pronoun into the same clause (as inEvery man left, taking his raincoat with him ) or by substituting another word forevery or any (as in All the men left; they took their raincoats with them. ) · The second complication is political.When a phrase introduced byevery or any refers to a group containing both men and women, what shall be the gender of the singular pronoun?This matter is discussed in the Usage Note athe. See Usage Note at all ,any ,each ,either ,he 1neither ,none Every 是一大类英语单词和短语的代表， 它们在形式上是单数的，但在意义上感觉起来却是复数。例如，这一类词中所包括的由every，any 和某些用法中的 some 所引导的名词短语。 这些短语毫无例外的跟单数动词，我们说每辆车都已 （不是 have ） 被测试过。 每个人都（不是 are ） 会生病 。 但是当一个句子中包括一个由先行词every 引导的代词时， 从句法和意义上就要区分不同的情况了。象每一辆车必须测试它的制动器 这样的表达法在语法上要求使用一单数代词， 但人们总习惯于用复数代词，象Every car must have their brakes tested 这样。 虽然后面这种形式在各种团体的讲话中非常普遍，但它在写作中仍广泛地被认为是语法上的错误。无论如何，坚持语法规则的努力总会导致各种各样的复杂问题。首先是语法上的复杂性。当一个代词指代一个短语，而这个短语中包括every 或 any 属于另一个与此代词所在子句不同的独立子句中时， 这个代词不能用单数形式。因此很容易理解英国人为何不说每个人离开时，都拿着各自的雨衣 ， 也不说没有人会被看到，不是吗？ 。 不愿意在这些例子中用复数形式的书写者必须找到另外一种表达他们意思的方法，或者可以通过重新改变句子的说法以使代词与其指代的短语同属一个从句中（如Every man left， taking his raincoat with him ）， 或者通过以另一个词代替every 或 any 的方法（如 All the man left；they took their raincoats with them ）。 第二是政治上的复杂性。当一个被every 或 any 引导的短语指代的一个团体中既有男人又有女人时， 单数代词的词性怎么确定呢？这个问题在单词he的用法说明中将被讨论 参见 all,any,each,either,he1neither,none〔spat〕A cloth or leather gaiter covering the shoe upper and the ankle and fastening under the shoe with a strap. Often used in the plural.鞋罩：布质的或皮质的覆盖鞋面和脚踝的鞋罩，它在鞋底用一根带子系紧。常用复数形式〔walker〕A shoe specially designed for walking comfortably. Often used in the plural.轻便鞋：特别设计的使走路舒服的鞋。常用复数形式〔wearable〕Something that can be worn, especially a garment. Often used in the plural.衣服：能穿的东西，尤指服装。常用复数形式〔Philistine〕It has never been good to be a Philistine.Samson, Saul, and David in the Bible helped bring the Philistines into prominence because they were such prominent opponents.Even though the Philistines have long since disappeared,their name has lived on in the Old Testament.The English name for them,Philistines, which goes back through Late Latin and Greek to Hebrew, is first found in Middle English,wherePhilistiens, the ancestor of our word, is recorded in a work composed before 1325. Beginning in the 17th centuryphilistine was used as a common noun usually in the plural to refer to various groups considered the enemy,such as literary critics.In Germany in the same centuryit is said that in a memorial at Jena for a student who had been killed in a town-gown quarrel,the minister preached a sermon from the text "Philister über dir Simson! [The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!],”the words of Delilah to Samson after she attempted to render him powerless before his Philistine enemies.From this usage it is said that German students came to usePhilister, the German equivalent of Philistine, to denote nonstudents and hence uncultured or materialistic people.Both usages were picked up in English in the early 19th century.做非利士人从来没有好处。《圣经》中的参孙、索尔和大卫使非利士人出名是因为他们是很优秀的对手。尽管非利士人已消失很久了，他们的名字却仍存在于《旧约》当中。他们的英文名称Philistines 可由晚期拉丁语和希腊语追溯到希伯来语， 是在中世纪英语中首先发现的，其中我们所用词的前身Philistines 记载在一部1325年前的著作中。 17世纪以来，Philistine 被用作普通名词并且常以复数形式出现， 意指被认为是敌人的各种团体，如文学批评家。在同一世纪的德国，据说在耶拿举行的纪念一名在市民和大学生争执中被杀的学生的纪念会上，牧师从“［非利士人比你强，参孙!］”中选取了一段做布道，就是迪莱勒在试图使参孙在他的非利士手面前变得软弱无力后说的那些话。这段话的用法中可见德国学生开始使用philister 作为 philistine 的德语替代语， 意指不是学生因此也就是没有文化以及不务实的人。这两种用法在19世纪早期的英语中均能找到〔suspender〕An often elastic strap worn over the shoulders to support trousers. Often used in the plural.背带：穿在肩膀上用以挂住裤子的可伸展的带子。常用复数形式〔wheatear〕Back-formation from earlier wheatears [taken as pl.] 源自 较早期 wheatears的逆构词 [被当作复数形式] |
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