reluctant
英 [rɪ'lʌkt(ə)nt]***美 [rɪ'lʌktənt]
助记提示
1. re- "against" + luct- "struggle, wrestle" + -ant.
2. => struggle or rebel against.
3. => unwilling.
4. luct- 与 lock "一绺头发,发辫" 同源,他们的本义都表示纠缠在一起,扭在一起(的事物或状态)。
中文词源
reluctant 勉强的,不情愿的来自拉丁语 reluctari,扭打,抵抗,来自 re-,相对,对着干,luctari,缠绕,扭打,词源同 leg,ineluctable.引申词义勉强的,不情愿的。
中文词源
- reluctant
- reluctant: [17] To be reluctant about doing something is etymologically to ‘struggle against’ it. The word comes from the present participle of Latin reluctārī, a compound verb formed from the prefix re- ‘against’ and luctārī ‘struggle’. Among the first English writers to employ it was John Milton, who used it in the literal Latin sense, describing the writhing Satan: ‘a monstrous serpent on his belly prone, reluctant, but in vain’, Paradise Lost 1667. ‘Unwilling, averse’, a metaphorical extension which saw the light of day in Latin, made its debut in English at the start of the 18th century.
- reluctant (adj.)
- "unwilling," 1660s, from Latin reluctantem (nominative reluctans), present participle of reluctari (see reluctance). Related: Reluctantly. The Latin word is also the source of Spanish reluchante, Italian riluttante.
双语例句
- 1. We were reluctant to start the long trudge home.
- 我们很不愿意踏上如此漫长艰辛的回家之路。
来自柯林斯例句
- 2. Scientific institutions have been reluctant to take corrective action.
- 科学机构一直不愿作出更正。
来自柯林斯例句
- 3. I am reluctant to trust anyone totally, Your Excellency.
- 我不想完全相信任何人,阁下。
来自柯林斯例句
- 4. He said no and seemed oddly reluctant to talk about it.
- 他说没有,而且奇怪的是似乎不愿谈及此事。
来自柯林斯例句
- 5. Japan has been reluctant to offer much aid to Russia.
- 日本一直不愿意向俄罗斯提供太多的援助。
来自柯林斯例句