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Babbitt is first a book (1922) by the American writer Sinclair Lewis, about a businessman called George Babbitt who lives in a small US town. He thinks about his property business, his clubs, and his place among the neighbours; he is not really interested in art, ideas, or other people’s inner lives.
Babbitt is first a book (1922) by the American writer Sinclair LewisBabbitt這個字最早是美國作家Sinclair Lewis在1922年寫的一本書, about a businessman called George Babbitt who lives in a small US town講的是一個叫George Babbitt、住在美國小鎮上的生意人。He thinks about his property business, his clubs, and his place among the neighbours他滿腦子想的是自己的房地產生意、參加的俱樂部,還有自己在鄰居之間的地位; he is not really interested in art, ideas, or other people's inner lives對藝術、思想或別人的內心世界其實一點興趣也沒有。
Readers found him comfortable, proud, and empty — boring in a well-dressed way. From the book, Babbitt became a name for that kind of man: respectable, keen on money and standing, narrow in feeling.
Readers found him comfortable, proud, and empty讀者覺得他生活安逸、自視甚高,卻很空洞 —— boring in a well-dressed way是那種穿得體面卻很無聊的人。From the book, Babbitt became a name for that kind of man從這本書開始,Babbitt就變成這種人的代名詞: respectable, keen on money and standing, narrow in feeling體面、汲汲於金錢和地位,感情卻很狹隘。
The word is literary and a little old now. Older readers of American novels still use it; younger students may never have heard it. You will usually see a capital B, because it began as a surname.
The word is literary and a little old now這個字現在算是文學用語,而且有點老派。Older readers of American novels still use it讀美國小說的老一輩讀者還會用它; younger students may never have heard it年輕的學生可能根本沒聽過。You will usually see a capital B你通常會看到大寫的B, because it began as a surname因為它原本是一個姓氏。
Though actually, English also has another technical word babbitt (a soft metal used in engines), from an inventor called Isaac Babbitt; that is a different word, not this character.
Though actually不過話說回來, English also has another technical word babbitt英文裡還有另一個專業用語babbitt (a soft metal used in engines指引擎裡用的一種軟金屬), from an inventor called Isaac Babbitt來自一位叫Isaac Babbitt的發明家; that is a different word, not this character那是不同的字,跟這個角色沒有關係。
組成From the surname of George Babbitt, the businessman in Sinclair Lewis’s novel Babbitt (1922). The use for a type of person grew from that character.
同家族的字
- Babbittrythe way of life of a Babbitt: comfortable, narrow, and proud of being ordinary
原始詞典資料7 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
Babbittname詞源 1/ˈbæbɪt/
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A surname.
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A city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States.
Babbittnoun詞源 2/ˈbæbɪt/
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datedA person who subscribes complacently to materialistic middle-class ideals.
- A Babbitt met a Bromide on the avenue one day. They held a conversation in their own peculiar way.
- One speaks of a babbitt habit, a babbitt era. Nothing is more true. America recognized itself in Babbitt, it demurred, but it also admired.
babbittverb詞源 1/ˈbæbɪt/
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To line (something) with babbitt metal to reduce friction.
- The main bearings were babbitted and line-bored.
- The caps for these journal-boxes or bearings may be Babbited by this same jig, and they would, of course, exactly conform to the other portions of the bearings in the frame. […] This drilling jig is a negative of the interior of the frame. It has two sets of bearings, c d and e f, which are at right angles to each other, and which set in the longitudinal and transverse bearings that have been made and "Babbited" in the cast frame, and thus steady and hold it.
這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形：
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。