喜樂美語

這個拼法底下其實是2個不同的字，意思沒有關係， 只是長得一樣。下面分開列出來。跳到 close, of friendship · hint, imply

1

intimate

a, n

唸法不同同樣的拼法，這個字的唸法跟另一個不一樣。/ˈɪntəmət/

核心畫面

A picture worth holding: being let all the way inside. Not standing in the doorway making polite talk, but sitting in the innermost room where a person keeps what they don't show the public. Whatever is intimate has crossed that line — a friend, a fact, a small candlelit restaurant, or two bodies.

被讓進了「最裡面」。不是站在門口寒暄，而是坐進了那個人平常不對外開放的內室——他放心事、放私人東西的地方。凡是 in…更多收起被讓進了「最裡面」。不是站在門口寒暄，而是坐進了那個人平常不對外開放的內室——他放心事、放私人東西的地方。凡是 intimate 的，都是已經跨過那條線、進到裡面去了：可能是一個朋友，可能是一件你知道得很深的事，可能是一家只有幾張桌子的小餐廳，也可能是兩個人的身體。這個字的重點不在「感情好」，而在「距離近到進了內圈」。

From the word’s history

From Latin intimus "innermost", the superlative of interior — literally the most inside thing there is. Latin intimare meant to bring something into that inner place, or to make it familiar.

來自拉丁文 intimus「最裡面的」，是 interior（內部的）的最高級——字面上就是「最深處的那個」。動詞 intimō 的意思是「把某物帶進最裡面／使之熟悉」。所以這個字從一開始講的就不是感情濃度，而是空間位置：有沒有進到最裡面那一層。現代英語每一個用法都還踩在這個「最內側」的畫面上，這也是為什麼它同時能講房間、講友誼、講知識、講身體。

Wiktionary, "intimate": from Latin intimātus, participle of intimō, from intimus ("inmost, innermost"), superlative of interior.

Four branches

人與人之間進到內圈

最直接的一支：被讓進內室的是「一個人」——他知道你不對外說的事，你也知道他的。

close, of friendship · adjective · C2

Having a very close friendship, so that you know each other well and can share private thoughts and feelings.

親密

不對外的私密內容

被讓進內室的是「資訊」：那些人們原本收在裡面、不會攤在外面給人看的細節。

private, personal · adjective · C2

Relating to very private or personal things, especially feelings, thoughts, or details of a close relationship that most people keep to themselves.

私密

空間讓人放鬆的近

被讓進內室的是「你這個客人」：地方小、光線暗、桌子靠得近，那種空間本身就把人放進了一個私人的圈子裡。

cozy, comfortable · adjective · C2

Private and friendly in a way that makes you feel comfortable, used about a place, a meal, or the feeling in a room.

溫馨

身體上的親密

最裡面那一層，換成了身體：這是人最不對外開放的部分，所以英語也用同一個字。

sexual · adjective · C2

Relating to sex, especially to physical closeness between two people.

親密（性）

A second word, same spelling

2

intimate

v

唸法不同同樣的拼法，這個字的唸法跟另一個不一樣。/ˈɪntɪmeɪt/

核心畫面

Same Latin root, different word: this one is the verb intimare — to bring something inside, to slip it into the other person's mind rather than lay it on the table. The picture is a hint that never becomes a statement: you make them understand without ever saying it out loud.

同一個拉丁字根，但這是另一個字。動詞 intimō 的意思是「把某樣東西帶進裡面」——不是攤在桌上講，而是讓它悄悄進…更多收起同一個拉丁字根，但這是另一個字。動詞 intimō 的意思是「把某樣東西帶進裡面」——不是攤在桌上講，而是讓它悄悄進到對方心裡。核心畫面可以想成：一句始終沒有說出口的暗示。你調整語氣、留一個停頓、講一句聽起來無關的話，對方就懂了；但如果之後有人追問，桌面上其實什麼都沒有。這是英語裡最正式的「暗示」用字之一。

From the word’s history

From Latin intimare "to put or bring into, to make familiar", from intimus "innermost" — the adjective describes being inside; the verb describes putting something in.

來自拉丁文 intimāre「把…放進去、使熟悉」，字根同樣是 intimus「最裡面的」。形容詞講的是「已經在裡面」的狀態，動詞講的是「把東西送進去」這個動作——送進去的是一個意思，而且是繞過明說這條路送進去的。法語的 intimer 也是同一支。

Wiktionary, "intimate" (Etymology 3, verb): from Latin intimātus, from intimō ("to put or bring into, to make familiar"); cognate with French intimer.

原始詞典資料10 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。

intimateadj詞源 1/ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/

  • 1

    Closely acquainted; familiar.

    • an intimate friend
    • He and his sister deeply valued their intimate relationship as they didn't have much else to live for.
  • 2

    Personal; private.

    • an intimate setting
  • 3

    Pertaining to sex organs or underwear.

    • Intimate apparel departments have separate sections for bras and panties; within those sections, our intimate apparel firm would have its bras displayed separately from its panties.
  • 4

    Pertaining to sexual acts or a sexual relationship.

    • She enjoyed some intimate time alone with her husband.
    • The man, who had been arrested for being intimate with a donkey, admitted the conduct in question but claimed that the donkey had not been a donkey when he met her at a nightclub last Saturday night, but rather a prostitute.
  • 5

    Pertaining to details that require great familiarity to know.

    • The candidate showed an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of politics.
    • Grélard et al.⁸⁷ determined the intimate structure of pseudoviral particles of hepatitis B subvirus using solid-state NMR, light scattering, and cryo-electron microscopy.
  • 6

    Very finely mixed.

    • Black powder consists of an intimate mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur.

intimatenoun詞源 2/ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/

  • 1

    A very close friend.

    • Only a couple of intimates had ever read his writing.
  • 2

    Women's underwear, sleepwear, or lingerie, especially offered for sale in a store.

    • You'll find bras and panties in the intimates section upstairs.

intimateverb詞源 3/ˈɪn.tɪ.meɪt/

  • 1

    To suggest or disclose (something) discreetly.

    • He intimated that we should leave before the argument escalated.
    • And ſince this Family, called Ciu, which now holdeth the Souereigntie, hath reigned, it is called Min [translating 明 (Míng)], which intimateth Splendour, and by vſuall addition of one ſyllable Ta-min [translating 大明 (Dàmíng)], that is, the Kingdome of Great Splendour, Brightneſſe or Glory.
  • 2

    To notify.

    • I will intimate you when the details are available.

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。