saturnine

• adj. 忧郁的；阴沉的；铅中毒的；沉默寡言的

来自 Saturn,土星，-ine,形容词后缀。受中世纪科学知识的局限，天海冥三星尚未发现，土星 被认为是最远的行星，在当时的星象学，占星师认为在土星座出生的孩子，由于远离太阳缺 少阳光，性格会比较阴沉冷淡，因而引申词义阴沉的，令人生畏的。比较 jovial,开朗的，欢 乐的，来自 Jupiter,木星，罗马主神朱庇特，欢乐神，字面意思为在木星座出生的孩子。

1. bitter or scornful;

"the face was saturnine and swarthy, and the sensual lips...twisted with disdain"- Oscar Wilde

2. showing a brooding ill humor;

"a dark scowl"

"the proverbially dour New England Puritan"

"a glum, hopeless shrug"

"he sat in moody silence"

"a morose and unsociable manner"

"a saturnine, almost misanthropic young genius"- Bruce Bliven

"a sour temper"

"a sullen crowd"

saturnine (adj.)

"gloomy, morose, sluggish, grave," mid-15c., literally "born under the influence of the planet Saturn," from Middle English Saturne (see Saturn) + -ine (1). Medieval physiology believed these characteristics to be caused by the astrological influence of the planet Saturn, which was the most remote from the Sun (in the limited knowledge of the times) and thus coldest and slowest in its revolution.

He had a rather forbidding, saturnine manner.

他的举止相当乖戾阴郁，令人望而生畏。

辞典例句

The face was saturnine and swarthy, and the sensual lips seemed to be twisted with disdain.

他皮肤黝黑, 面带讥讽表情,嘴里叼着烟斗,是个鞑靼人.

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