“Vernalagnia(春躁癥)”來自希臘語單詞“lagneia(情欲)”,與“spring fever(春心蕩漾)”意思相同,即因春光明媚,人們心里感受到的一種更加愉悅而浪漫的情緒,vernalagnia是一種比較正式的說法。1958年版的醫(yī)學(xué)詞典對“vernalagnia”的解釋是“春天性欲的覺醒”。
Borrowed into English in the late 1800s, the word reverdie has a long history in its native French dating back as far as the 14th century at least: Derived from a verb, reverdir, meaning “to become green again,” a reverdie is a song, poem or dance performed in celebration of the return of the spring.
“Reverdie(春日頌)”是19世紀(jì)末期從法語引入到英語中的單詞,它的歷史非常悠久,至少可以追溯到14世紀(jì),由動詞“reverdir(返青)”派生而來。“Reverdie”指歌頌春回大地的歌曲、詩詞或舞蹈表演。
Since the 19th century, the chirruping of birds during the spring mating season is known as valentining.
自19世紀(jì)以來,人們就用valentining來形容鳥兒在春天這個繁殖的季節(jié)發(fā)出的唧唧喳喳的叫聲。
If you want to be even more specific, though the verb chelidonize is a proper word for the chirping of swallows as they fly overhead. It derives from the Greek word for swallow, chelidon—which is also the origin of the 17th century adjective Chelidonian.
如果你想把鳥叫聲分的更具體一些,用“chelidonize”來形容燕子從空中略過時啾啾吱吱的叫聲更恰當(dāng)。“Chelidonize”來自希臘語中表示燕子的單詞“chelidon”,這個單詞也是17世紀(jì)出現(xiàn)的形容詞“Chelidonian”的詞源。
As well as being used to describe anything the deep red color of a swallow’s throat, Chelidonian winds are warm spring winds, so called because they tended to start blowing around the same time that swallows and martins began to return in the spring.
“Chelidonian”除了可以指代像燕子喉嚨部位的深紅色一樣的顏色之外,“Chelidonian winds”還有和煦春風(fēng)的意思,這樣表述是因為春風(fēng)輕拂大地之時正是燕子歸巢的時候。
A word for the re-emerging of plants above the ground in spring, the 17th century adjective erumpent describes anything that bursts forth. The very first appearance of a plant above the ground, incidentally, is called the breard.
“Erumpent”是17世紀(jì)出現(xiàn)的形容詞,有“冒出,開放”的意思,用來表示“春天埋在地下的植物破土而出”。順便提一下,植物剛剛萌芽被稱為“breard”。
According to an 18th century dictionary of botanical terms, Frondescentia is “leafing season,” or “the time of the year when plants first unfold their leaves.” Likewise, a plant that is frondescent is just beginning to bud or produce leaves; frondescence is the process of budding or producing leaves; and when a plant frondesces, then it grows or puts forth leaves or buds. All four of these come from the Latin word for “leaf,” frons.
根據(jù)18世紀(jì)的植物學(xué)術(shù)語詞典,“Frondescentia”指“發(fā)葉期”,或“一年間植物第一次長出葉子的時期”。同樣的,形容剛發(fā)芽或長葉的植物可以用“frondescent”;“frondescence”指的是植物發(fā)芽或長葉的過程;當(dāng)表示植物在長葉或發(fā)芽時,可以用“frondesces”。這4個單詞都來自拉丁語中表示“葉子”的單詞“frons”。
Router is an old Yorkshire dialect word meaning “to rush around noisily,” or, as the English Dialect Dictionary puts it, “to make a search amidst a confusion of things.” Derived from that, a routering-bout is a thorough spring-cleaning of a house.
“Router”是一個古約克郡方言單詞,意為“鬧哄哄的四處亂跑”,《英語方言詞典》中解釋的意思是“在混亂中搜尋”。“Routering-bout”就由這個單詞衍生而來,表示家庭徹底大掃除。
Coined in the 18th century, floriage is blossom, or the collective flowers of a plant or tree. Likewise, a floriation is a decoration made of flowers, while efflorescence is the development or production of blossoming flowers.
Floriage是18世紀(jì)出現(xiàn)的單詞,意為花朵,或植物、樹木開出的花簇。“Floriation”是由花朵制成的裝飾品,而“efflorescence”則指開花的過程。