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考研高频单词讲解-4

aerial view of blue beach and island

本文讲考研高频单词的第四期,目前还不打算讲介词和后缀(稍难),先以常见词根为主,本期会加上英英翻译,难度稍稍加大,希望大家能够适应。

31. interpret

词根组成(inter + pret),其中inter很简单,是between之意。但是pret词根不好理解,它来自词根per-的第五个意思(to sell)!per-的意思相当之多,需要另开贴慢慢说。再根据wiktionary的来源,pret来自于拉丁语pretium(price),也很好理解,字母经过简单的元音、辅音变化就从拉丁语到了英语。

结合两个意思,互相(inter)交换价格(price),所以需要理解,解释(explain,expound)。

在拉丁语中,interpres本身就是掮客,中间商(broker)的意思,这就太明显啦,掮客起到的就是解释,沟通双方的作用,进一步从侧面表明了该单词的意思。

英英释义:

1.explain the meaning of (information, words, or actions).
2.translate orally or into sign language the words of a person speaking a different language.

(这里联想记忆一下,通常懂两国语言的中间商更好赚差价 ∩_∩)

然后说一下broker这个词,词源不明,但是把他拆分成 broke + er,打破人,因为掮客打破了顾客和上游供货商的关系,一下就记住了吧’◡’

32. pattern

最好不要简单翻译为:图案。看一下英英

名词:a repeated decorative design.

动词:decorate with a recurring design.

两个都强调了重复性(recur = re + occur,计算机中称为递归)
而不是单纯的图案,比如这种就属于pattern。

image

另:不要和pardon搞混了,读音有点类似。

33. plate

这个单词与flat很近,根据格林定律(不是考研数学的格林公式!),有f=p,所以这两单词都有"平"在里面,所以盘子,车牌都是这个单词,显然都是平的。

此外,它还表示板甲,中世纪的骑士穿的就是这种plate armor(armor:护甲)。英雄联盟中的道具亡者的板甲(Dead Man’s Plate)它。因为板甲都是由很多个小片的铁板组合而成。

补张图片感受一下:

image

34. potential

单词potent的来源wiktionary说的非常详细,各个语种都有,想看的同学自备工具查阅。

原话:From Middle English potent, borrowed from Latin potens, potentis (“powerful, strong, potent”), present participle of posse (“to be able”), from potis (“able, powerful, originally a lord, master”).

这里特意加红的地方和possible是同源单词,应该比较容易看出来吧?所以potent+ial就是有能力的,有潜能的。

物理中的势能英文是Potential energy ,所以势能缩写是。

再补充一个动能()Kinetic energy,kinetic(move),目前没找到记忆方法
 ̄︿ ̄

35. beneath

这个单词上一篇讲尼德兰(Netherland)和低地国家(low countries)时顺带说到了,不知道有没有同学还记得be + nether(er省去)。

其他由nether词根组成的单词有:

Netherworld 地下世界,地狱

Nethermost 最下的

这里be的同源的单词还有before,become,behead,bylaw(e变成y的原因可能是为了发音更方便)…

虽然意思不难,但是用法相当地深,我摘录一句:

The Old English prefix also was used to make transitive verbs and as a privative prefix (as in behead).
Be- also can be causative, or have just about any sense required.

Transitve 及物动词,如become。

Privative prefix,剥夺性前缀,behead(头被剥夺了)。

Causative,导致性的,如because

如上文所说,甚至能表示任何含义,是相当灵活的一个前缀。

Privative估计大家不认识,private 的词根是剥夺(deprive)的含义,ive表性质,所以是剥夺性的。

Private是一种对他人的剥夺,变成了私有的。引用wiktionary的词源:

From Latin prīvātus (“bereaved, deprived, set apart from”), perfect passive participle of prīvō (“I bereave, deprive”), from prīvus (“private, one’s own, peculiar”).

Bereave同样是一个由be+reave组成的词,reave是剥夺,与rob同源(b = v,发音相似)。Bereaved
mother表示失去了亲爱的人的母亲,可能丧父或者丧子。

36. divide

dis(apart)+ vid(wide),分开来变宽 => 分开。单词比较简单,展开了说几点

dividend:被除数,分红。不管是什么意思,都是由end这个后缀衍生出来,end表被动,所以dividend就是被分的东西,被除数被除数(divisor)分,分红被股东分。

最后在数学里divide =‘除’,所以2除8表示用2划分8,得到四份。

如果是除以,那么是divided by,2除以8则是2被8除,故答案为0.25。

这个知识点估计大家小学学过,长大后考试没有考就忘记了,个人觉得这种用法是收到了西方数学的影响或者翻译过来的,并不是咬文嚼字。

37. element

“earth, air, fire, or water; one of the four things regarded by the ancients as the constituents of all things,”

早期四元素说中的一个都是叫做element,源自

From Middle English element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”) (see further etymology there).

Essence 和 element 两者意思比较接近,essence强调本质,element强调组成元素。比如元素周期表是element,而不是essence。详细区别见这里

38. employment

in- (from PIE root *en “in”) + plicare “to fold” (from PIE root
*plek- “to plait”).

Plic算是一个相当重要和常见的词根了,意为卷入,plait是辫子(顾名思义)。卷入进去=>被雇佣,此处有说法称fold缩写为fl => pl(格林定律)组成词根’卷入’,我没有验证,不过确实是个记忆的好方法。

该词根比较重要,好像还是第一次讲,这里是同源单词,自行查阅吧

https://www.etymonline.com/word/*plek-

39. European

已经说过Europe了,不再重复。

补充链接:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_continent_name_etymologies

40. focus

一个比较新的单词,十七世纪前没有聚焦的意思,见这里

Introduced into English 1650s by Hobbes. Sense transfer to “center of activity or energy” is first recorded 1796.

原意为火炉(fireplace,hearth,玩炉石的同学肯定知道这个单词),不知道和钻木取火和放大镜聚焦产生火是否有关系。

Focal,聚焦的,focal point 聚焦点。

auto-focus 自动对焦

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