皮膚上的涼——溫度本身
這一族就是核心畫面本身:實際的低溫,以及讓低溫發生的東西。
coolness, mild cold · noun · C1
The nice, slightly cold feeling of air, water, a place, or a surface — not warm, and not so cold that it hurts.
涼爽
A model that works well: coolness is the quality of being a few degrees below warm — the air on your skin when you step into the shade, or the side of the pillow you turn over to. It is not the pain of cold; it is the pleasant absence of heat. Almost every other meaning is that same lowered temperature moved from the skin to feelings, faces, colours, or style.
Old English cōlnes "coolness, cool air, a breeze" — the noun was already about moving cool air on the skin before it ever described a person's manner.
古英語 cōlnes 本來就是「涼意、涼空氣、微風」,也就是說這個名詞一開始講的就是皮膚感受到的那股涼——後來才被拿去講一個人的態度或風格。這條線索剛好支持我們把「涼爽」當成整個字的起點。
Wiktionary, entry "coolness" (Middle English colnes < Old English cōlnes "coolness; cool air, breeze")
Five branches
皮膚上的涼——溫度本身
這一族就是核心畫面本身:實際的低溫,以及讓低溫發生的東西。
coolness, mild cold · noun · C1
The nice, slightly cold feeling of air, water, a place, or a surface — not warm, and not so cold that it hurts.
涼爽
情緒的溫度降下來
英文常把激動的情緒說成「熱」(heated argument、hot temper)。既然如此,把溫度往下調就成了不激動——核心那股涼原封不動地搬進了心裡。
coolness, composure · noun · C1
How steady you stay in your feelings when something hard happens, without getting nervous, upset, or too excited.
冷靜
風格上的酷
從「不激動」再往前走一步:一個人不急著討好、不用力表現,那種鎮定看起來就很有魅力,於是 cool 從溫度變成了對風格的最高評價。
coolness, stylishness · noun · C1
The quality of looking or seeming stylish, interesting, or attractive in a way that people admire.
酷/有型
顏色的涼
顏色沒有溫度,但我們看到藍綠會想到水、樹蔭、清晨,於是核心那股涼被眼睛借去用了。
coolness, of a color · noun · C1
The quality of a colour such as blue or green that makes you think of water, shade, or other cool things.
冷色感
只活在片語裡的「整整」
這一支跟溫度的關係已經很淡,靠的是說話的態度:講一個大數字卻不動聲色,用那份鎮定反襯出數字有多驚人。
a cool million · noun · C1
A surprisingly large amount of money, said with a cool number such as a cool million — this pattern uses the adjective, not the noun coolness.
整整(一筆)
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。
coolnessnoun/ˈkuːlnəs/
Moderate chilliness.
Calmness, confidence, or level-headedness.
datedConflict or hostility or an instance of such that stands in contrast to expected friendliness or interest.
Indifference or an instance of indifference; lack of friendliness or interest not necessarily rising to hostility.
slangSocial advantage or enviability, typically due to traits like popularity, confidence, skill, or fashion.
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。