One way to hold it: think of waterproof. A waterproof coat has water coming at it and keeps it out. Put future in that same slot and the thing coming at you is time — new machines, new formats, new demands. To future-proof something is to put that coat on it now, before the weather arrives; the adjective simply says the coat is already on.

可以想成 waterproof(防水)。防水外套的外面有水打過來,它把水擋在外面。把 future 放進同一個位置,打過來的就換成時間——新的機器、新的格式、新的要求。future-proof 當動詞,就是趁天氣還沒來,先把這件外套穿上去;當形容詞,則是說這件外套已經穿好了。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary gives the make-up directly: future + -proof, the same pattern as waterproof and childproof, where the word before -proof names what is being kept out.

Wiktionary 直接寫出它的組成:future + -proof,跟 waterproof、childproof 是同一個造字方式;-proof 前面那個字,就是要擋在外面的東西。

Wiktionary, "future-proof"

One branch

把防護穿上去,和已經穿好的狀態

登入就可以看這一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

prepare for future change · verb

To build, choose, or plan something now in a way that will keep it working and useful later, when the things around it have changed.

為將來預做準備