English 版 (精华区)
发信人: watergod (共工), 信区: English
标 题: A.Word.A.Day--bovine(转载)
发信站: 哈工大紫丁香 (2001年01月04日09:24:05 星期四), 转信
【 以下文字转载自 watergod 的信箱 】
【 原文由 Wordsmith 所发表 】
bovine (BO-vyn, -veen) adjective
1. Of, relating to, or resembling a ruminant mammal of the genus Bos,
such as an ox, cow, or buffalo.
2. Sluggish, dull, and stolid.
noun
An animal of the genus Bos.
[Late Latin bovinus, from Latin bos, cow.]
(Here is another word that refers to cows: vaccine. It comes from
vacca, Latin for cow, after inoculation prepared from cows. -Anu)
"This freedom from consequence permeated the social fabric. It affected
the way people drove, namely, in slow, dull, uncomprehending torpor; the
way they passed their days in bovine oblivion."
Howard Troxler, Job market full - of ineptitude, laziness,
St. Petersburg Times, Mar 15, 2000.
This week's theme: animal-related words that are used metaphorically.
............................................................................
If a person is obviously mentally disabled, such as having Down's syndrome
or Alzheimer's, decent people exercise sympathy and understanding in their
interactions. So why, if someone merely has a low IQ, is he treated with
ridicule and contempt? -Geoff Kuenning, computer science professor (1951- )
A transcript of the online chat with John Simpson, Chief Editor of the Oxford
English Dictionary is now available at http://wordsmith.org/chat/oed.html .
Our next chat is with David Crystal, author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of
the English Language on Dec 29. Details at http://wordsmith.org/chat/dc.html .
Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/bovine.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/bovine.ram
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