gentle
英 ['dʒent(ə)l]
美['dʒɛntl]
- adj. 温和的；文雅的
- vt. 使温和，使驯服
- n. 蛆，饵
- n. (Gentle)人名；(英)金特尔
词态变化
比较级: gentler;最高级: gentlest;名词: gentleness;
助记提示
1. gent- + -le.
2. literally "of the same family or clan".
3. => well-born, high-born, noble, of good family.
4. => mild, tender.
5. Its originally meaning is 'of the same family', but later it had shifted to 'of good family', and then developed to 'mild, tender'.
6. gentle 【枕头】 温柔的，文雅的，温和的，门弟高的
2. literally "of the same family or clan".
3. => well-born, high-born, noble, of good family.
4. => mild, tender.
5. Its originally meaning is 'of the same family', but later it had shifted to 'of good family', and then developed to 'mild, tender'.
6. gentle 【枕头】 温柔的，文雅的，温和的，门弟高的
中文词源
gentle 温和的，文雅的
来自gen-,生育，词源同generate.原指出生高贵的，优雅的。
英英释意
- 1. cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of;
- "She managed to mollify the angry customer"
- 2. give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility
- 3. stroke soothingly
英文词源
- gentle
- gentle: [13] Expressions like ‘of gentle birth’, and related forms such as gentility [14] and gentleman [13] point up the original link between gentle and ‘family, stock, birth’. The word comes via Old French gentil from Latin gentīlis, a derivative of gēns ‘family, stock’, which in turn goes back to the Indo-European base *gen- ‘produce’ (source of English gene, generate, genitive, etc).
To begin with it meant ‘of the same family’, but by post-classical times it had shifted to ‘of good family’, the sense in which English originally acquired it. Like the closely related generous, it then moved on semantically from ‘well-born’ to ‘having a noble character, generous, courteous’, but interestingly this sense has virtually died out in English (except in such fixed phrases as gentle knight and gentle reader), having been replaced since the 16th century by ‘mild, tender’.
French gentil was reborrowed into English in the 16th century as genteel, in which again connotations of good breeding figure highly. Attempts at a French accent resulted ultimately in jaunty [17], which originally meant ‘wellbred’ or ‘elegant’. The other English descendant of Latin gentīlis is the directly borrowed gentile [14], whose application to ‘non-Jewish people’ comes from its use in the Vulgate, the Latin version of the Bible.
=> general - gentle (adj.)
- early 13c., gentile, gentle "well-born, of noble rank or family," from Old French gentil/jentil "high-born, worthy, noble, of good family; courageous, valiant; fine, good, fair" (11c., in Modern French "nice, graceful, pleasing; fine, pretty") and directly from Latin gentilis "of the same family or clan," in Medieval Latin "of noble or good birth," from gens (genitive gentis) "race, clan," from root of gignere "beget," from PIE root *gene- "to give birth, beget" (see genus).
Sense evolved in English and French to "having the character or manners of one of noble rank or birth," varying according to how those were defined. From mid-13c. in English as "gracious, kind" (now obsolete), manners prescribed for Christian or chivalrous nobility. From late 13c. as "courteous, polite, well-bred, charming;" c. 1300 as "graceful, beautiful." Meaning "mild, tender; easy; not harsh" (of animals, things, persons) is from 1550s. Older sense remains in gentleman, and compare gentile (adj.), an alternative form which tends to keep the Biblical senses of the Latin word (though gentle in Middle English sometimes meant "pagan, heathen"), and genteel, which is the same word borrowed again from French. From 1823 as "pertaining to the fairies."
同义词辨析
gentle, mild, soft, tender, moderate
这些形容词均含有"温和的，柔和的"之意。
gentle： 指温柔、亲切、优雅。常含有节制和意味。
mild： 用于人时，指天性温顺，脾气好，不放肆粗野；用于物时，主要指适度，程度上相当缓和给人以愉快感觉。
soft： 侧重柔软或安稳、光滑，使人不感到粗糙或严酷。
tender和gentle意思很接近。指人的感情细腻、温情慈爱和有同情心，侧重心理素质。也可指物的柔嫩等。
moderate： 中性词，指温和稳健，有节制，不走极端。
考试真题
- Mules have strong muscles like horses; but they eat less, can work longer, and are gentler, like donkeys.
出自-2017年6月听力原文
- During its flight it reached 3000 feet and performed a series of gentle turns all over a safe area.
2018年6月四级真题（第二套）听力 Section A
- Born in fire and fury, Devils Tower was then shaped by the slow, gentle work of wind and water.
出自-2016年12月听力原文
实用场景例句
- Cook over a gentle heat.
- 要用文火煮。
牛津词典
- We went for a gentle stroll.
- 我们溜达去了。
牛津词典
- a little gentle exercise
- 少量较平和的运动
牛津词典
- This soap is very gentle on the hands.
- 这肥皂擦在手上非常柔和。
牛津词典
- a gentle slope/curve/angle
- 平缓的斜坡 / 弯道 / 角度
牛津词典
- the gentle swell of the sea
- 缓慢起伏的海浪
牛津词典
- a gentle breeze
- 和风
牛津词典
- He looks scary but he's really a gentle giant .
- 他看上去可怕，实际却是个性格温和的巨人。
牛津词典
- She agreed to come, after a little gentle persuasion .
- 经过一阵细心劝说，她表示愿意来。
牛津词典
- Be gentle with her!
- 待她温柔些！
牛津词典
- He lived in a gentler age than ours.
- 他生活的时代比我们这个时代更平静祥和。
牛津词典
- She was the gentlest of nurses.
- 她是个极其和蔼的护士。
牛津词典
- a gentle voice/laugh/touch
- 温柔的声音 / 笑声 / 触摸
牛津词典
- a quiet and gentle man
- 温文尔雅的男士
牛津词典
- Cook for 30 minutes over a gentle heat.
- 用文火煮30分钟。
柯林斯高阶英语词典
- There were two passes over 13,000 feet but the slopes were gentle.
- 有两个超过13,000英尺的山口，但坡度平缓。
柯林斯高阶英语词典
- ...gentle, rolling meadows...
- 缓缓起伏的牧场
柯林斯高阶英语词典
- The blustery winds of spring had dropped to a gentle breeze.
- 呼啸的春风已经减弱，成了习习的微风。
柯林斯高阶英语词典
- His movements were gentle and deliberate.
- 他的动作舒缓而从容。
柯林斯高阶英语词典
- ...a gentle game of tennis...
- 不激烈的网球比赛
柯林斯高阶英语词典
- Michael's voice was gentle and consoling.
- 迈克尔的嗓音轻柔而且抚慰人心。
柯林斯高阶英语词典
- My son was a quiet and gentle man who liked sports and enjoyed life...
- 我儿子是个安静温和的人，喜欢运动和享受生活。
柯林斯高阶英语词典
- What do you like to do in your spare time?
- 空闲时你喜欢干什么?
辞典例句
- A gentle wind disturbed the surface of the water.
- 微风拂动水面.
《简明英汉词典》
- He is a man of gentle mould.
- 他是个性格温和的人.
《简明英汉词典》
- A gentle breeze is freely blowing.
- 惠风和畅.
《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The wind is gentle and the sun radiant.
- 风和日丽.
《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Being gentle and cultivated is just a scholar's attitude.
- 温文尔雅正是学者的态度.
《现代汉英综合大词典》