喜樂美語

核心畫面

One way to picture 'dear': something held close and valued highly — precious to you. From 'precious' the word spreads two ways. On the warm side: a beloved person, the name you call them, the polite opening of a letter. On the money side: 'dear' means costly — something whose high price makes it hard to part with, the same idea of 'worth a lot', just measured in money. The little cry 'oh dear' comes from the same warmth, a soft sound of concern.

可以想成： dear 是「捧在手心裡、看得很重」的那種感覺——對你來說很珍貴。從「珍貴」往兩邊走。溫暖的一邊：心愛的…更多收起可以想成： dear 是「捧在手心裡、看得很重」的那種感覺——對你來說很珍貴。從「珍貴」往兩邊走。溫暖的一邊：心愛的人、你對他的暱稱、寫信開頭那句客氣的稱呼。金錢的一邊： dear 也指「貴」——價錢高到讓你捨不得花，其實還是「值很多」這個想法，只是改用錢來量。而那聲「oh dear（哎呀）」也來自同一份在乎，是一聲輕輕的關切。

原始詞典資料19 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。

Dearname

  • 1

    A surname.

dearadj詞源 1/dɪə/

  • 1

    High in price; expensive.

    • The dearer the jewel, the greater the love expressed.
    • There's more depends on this than on the value. The dearest ring in Venice will I give you, And find it out by proclamation: Only for this, I pray you, pardon me.
  • 2

    Loved; lovable.

    • "Yes, children dear, wait a bit till it turns itself," she answered - she ought to have said "till I turn it"[.]
    • So this was my future home, I thought![…]Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
  • 3

    Lovely; kind.

    • "I've never met the kind of man I mean." "Tell me about him. What does he look like?" "Oh, he might look very much like you." "How dear of you to say that!"
  • 4

    Loving, affectionate, heartfelt

    • Such dear embrace tenderly comforts even in this dear sorrow.
  • 5

    Precious to or greatly valued by someone.

    • The dearer the giver, the dearer the trinket he brings!
    • […] dear as sacramental wine To dying lips is all he said […].
  • 6

    A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.

    • Dear Sir/Madam/Miss, please notice our offices will be closed during the following bank holidays:[…].
    • Dearest Joseph/son:...
  • 7

    A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.

    • My dear friend, I feel better as soon as you come sit beside my sickbed!
    • “A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”
  • 8

    An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior or someone one dislikes.

    • My dear man, you ought to think twice about who you're trying to blackmail.
另外 1 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    obsoleteNoble.

dearnoun詞源 1/dɪə/

  • 1

    A very kind, loving person.

    • My little cousin is such a dear, always drawing me pictures.
  • 2

    A beloved person.

  • 3

    An affectionate, familiar term of address, such as used between husband and wife.

    • Pass me the salt, would you dear?
  • 4

    An elderly person, especially a woman.

dearverb詞源 1/dɪə/

  • 1

    obsoleteTo endear.

    • Nor should a Sonne his Sire loue for reward, But for he is his Sire, in nature dear’d.
    • I should have known no less: It hath been taught us from the primal state That he which is was wished until he were; And the ebbed man, ne'er loved till ne'er worth love, Comes deared by being lacked.

dearadv詞源 1/dɪə/

  • 1

    Dearly; at a high price.

    • If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear.

dearintj詞源 1/dɪə/

  • 1

    Indicating surprise, pity, or disapproval.

    • Dear, dear! Whatever were they thinking?

dearadj詞源 2/dɪə/

  • 1

    Severe, or severely affected; sore.

  • 2

    obsoleteFierce.

    • The Christens found the heathens dear, as the lion doth the bear.

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。