同音同形异义词:fray
前两天介绍cleave(分开;忠于)一词时,我们曾谈过英语中有很多“同音异形异义”词,它们在演变过程中转化成了“同音同形异义”,今天讲的fray(冲突;磨损)亦不失为此类词汇的又一代表。 既然是异义,两个不同的词义的渊源肯定也不会相同。先看fray做“冲突”时,其词根可追溯到14世纪古英语词affray,指“吓唬某人;使不得安宁”,如果写出它的过去分词--affrayed,您是不是有似曾相识的感觉?那当然! Afraid(害怕的)就是由affrayed演变而来的。 在当时,fray(惊吓某人)做名词时指“恐惧”。由于“恐惧都是由外界侵袭而引起的”,所以fray后来开始表示“攻击”,它的现代意“争吵;冲突”是在15世纪开始出现的,并延续至今。 Fray的另一层含义“磨损”源自希腊词fricare(磨擦),在此基础上,fray后来延伸为“由于摩擦而损坏”,如fray的比喻义My nerves are frayed(我神经崩溃了)就是指由于过分紧张或压力过大而使神经遭受百般“损伤”,最后达至无可忍受的程度。
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