meretricious

GRE

英 [,merɪ'trɪʃəs] 美['mɛrə'trɪʃəs]

释义

adj. 俗气的；娼妓的；华丽而庸俗的

近义词

中文词源

meretricious 妓女的，虚有其表的，金玉其外的

来自拉丁语meretrix,妓女，来自mereri,挣钱，赚取自己应得的部分，来自PIE*mer,smer,砍，切，分配，词源同merit,polymer.-trix,表阴性，词源同dominatrix.字面意思即赚钱的女人，用于委婉语指妓女。并由此引申多种贬义词义。最终词源可能同market,mercy.

英文词源

meretricious (adj.): 1620s, "pertaining to harlots," from Latin meretricius "of or pertaining to prostitutes," from meretrix (genitive meretricis) "prostitute," literally "woman who earns money," from merere, mereri "to earn, gain" (see merit (n.)). Meaning "gaudily alluring" is from 1630s. Related: Meretriciously; meretriciousness.

双语例句

1. A wooden building painted to look like marble is meretricious.: 一座漆得像大理石般的木制建筑物外表是美丽的.

2. Her room was painted in meretricious technicolour.: 她的房间刷着俗艳的颜色。

英英释意

1. like or relating to a prostitute;: "meretricious relationships"

2. tastelessly showy;: "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments"

3. based on pretense; deceptively pleasing;: "the gilded and perfumed but inwardly rotten nobility"; "meretricious praise"; "a meretricious argument"

实用场景例句

...vulgar, meretricious and shabby souvenirs.: 俗气花哨、质量低劣的纪念品

A wooden building painted to look like marble is meretricious.: 一座漆得像大理石般的木制建筑物外表是美丽的.

Her room was painted in meretricious technicolour.: 她的房间刷着俗艳的颜色。