喜樂美語

核心畫面

One way to picture it: two things are heading the same way, and a third thing pushes in between them. Something was going to happen ; now something else is in the middle of it.

本來有一條順順的路線——一件事正要走完、一個訊號正要傳到、一個球員正要跑到位。然後有第三方從中間插進來，卡在那條線上…更多收起本來有一條順順的路線——一件事正要走完、一個訊號正要傳到、一個球員正要跑到位。然後有第三方從中間插進來，卡在那條線上。事情不見得被完全擋死，但它不再是原來乾淨的樣子了。整個字的重量都在「插進中間」這個動作上，至於插得對不對、討不討喜，就要看是誰插進來、站在哪一邊看。

From the word’s history

From interfere, which traces back through Old French to Latin inter- 'between' + ferire 'to strike' — literally 'to strike between'. The 'between' is the whole picture.

來自動詞 interfere，往上追是拉丁文的 inter-（在……之間）加上 ferire（打、撞）——字面就是「打進中間」。這個 inter- 就是整個字的骨架：不管後面延伸出多少意思，畫面永遠是有東西橫在兩者中間。

interfere < Old French (s')entreferir < Latin inter- + ferīre; the noun is interfere + -ence, per the origin note supplied with this entry

Three branches

插手別人的事

這一支就是核心畫面用在「人的事情」上：橫進來的是別人的手。

interference, meddling · noun · C1

The act of getting involved in another person's work or plans, or in a country's decisions, especially when they do not want you to.

干涉

訊號被卡住

一樣是橫進中間，但這次被插隊的不是人的計畫，而是一條看不見的傳輸路線。

interference, signal disruption · noun · C1

Sound that spoils a radio, television, or phone call, or a problem that makes the television picture jump or go unclear.

干擾

比賽中的擋人

還是橫進中間，但這次插進來的是一個身體：擋在對手和他要去的地方之間。

interference, a foul (sports) · noun · C1

In a game, the act of blocking or touching another player when the rules say you must not, for example by standing in their way or holding their shirt.

阻擋犯規

原始詞典資料8 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。

interferencenoun/ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns/

  • 1

    The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes.

    • Somewhat impeded by constant political interference of one sort or another, British Railways are nevertheless pressing ahead with a mammoth modernisation programme; [...]
    • "With magic in limited use and hidden, it was possible to enhance the various magic resistances of humans, and to keep certain forms of magic from being possible. If magic enters common usage, this interference becomes infeasible."
  • 2

    hobbieslifestylesportsThe illegal obstruction of an opponent in some ball games.

    • They were glued to the TV, as the referee called out a fifteen yard penalty for interference.
  • 3

    natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsAn effect caused by the superposition of two systems of waves.

  • 4

    A distortion on a broadcast signal due to atmospheric or other effects.

    • They wanted to watch the game on TV, but there was too much interference to even make out the score on the tiny screen.
  • 5

    lawIn United States patent law, an inter partes proceeding to determine the priority issues of multiple patent applications; a priority contest.

  • 6

    board-gameschessgamesThe interruption of the line between an attacked piece and its defender by sacrificially interposing a piece.

  • 7

    human-scienceslinguisticssciencesA negative or inappropriate language transfer.

interferenceverb/ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns/

  • 1

    To interfere.

    • In economic terms, the two production processes can be simultaneously implemented without interferencing between themselves.

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。