核心畫面

You can picture the moon as that one big round pale object hanging in the night sky and circling the Earth. From that single picture the word fans out: its changing shape night to night, other planets' moons, a clutch of that borrow its 'far away and unreachable' feel, and even a rude joke that borrows its round pale shape.

可以想成夜空裡那顆又大又圓、泛著蒼白光的東西,繞著地球轉。整個字從這一個畫面散開:它一夜一夜變換的形狀、別的行星的衛更多收起可以想成夜空裡那顆又大又圓、泛著蒼白光的東西,繞著地球轉。整個字從這一個畫面散開:它一夜一夜變換的形狀、別的行星的衛星、一串借用它「高掛天邊、搆不著」感覺的片語,甚至一個借用它「又圓又白」形狀的粗俗玩笑。

From the word’s history

From Old English mona 'moon', from a Proto-Germanic root tied to measuring time (the same root behind 'month') — the moon as the sky-clock whose phases marked off the months.

源自古英語 mona「月亮」,其原始日耳曼字根與「量度時間」有關(month「月份」同源)——月亮像是天上的時鐘,用它的盈虧切出一個個月份。

Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), 'moon (n.)'

Three branches

天上的月與衛星(本義)

這一條是核心畫面本身,以及它最直接的兩個延伸:同一顆月亮當下的長相,還有把「繞行星轉的圓球」這個概念借給別的行星。

the moon · noun · A1

The big round object that shines in the sky at night and moves around the Earth.

月亮

借月而生的片語

月亮高掛天邊、看得到卻搆不著,又走得慢、循環久遠——這些片語就借了它這份「遙遠」與「久遠」的感覺,月亮本身退成一個比喻。

ask for / cry for the moon · noun · B2

Used in the phrase 'ask for / cry for the moon' to mean wanting something you can almost never get.

奢望、不可能的事

露屁股的玩笑(動詞)

這個動詞跟天上的月亮看似不搭,其實是借了月亮「又圓又白」的形狀:彎腰露出圓圓白白的屁股,像突然亮出一輪滿月。所以仍掛在同一個畫面下,只是換了個調皮的角度。

moon someone (show your bottom) · verb · C1

To bend over and show your bottom to people as a rude joke.

露屁股(惡作劇)

原始詞典資料25 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。

Moonname詞源 1/muːn/

  • 1

    The Earth's moon; the sole natural satellite of the Earth, represented in astronomy and astrology by ☾.

    • I kind of have two Moons up there. I look at the Moon just like everybody else who's never been there. But every once in a while I do think of the second Moon, the one that I recall from up close and, yeah, it is kind of hard to believe that I was actually up there.
  • 2

    human-scienceslifestylemysticismA personification of the moon.

    • Women's rhythm of life, her monthly renewal with her patroness the Moon, is the most important thing in her existence.
    • Moon, the companion of Night, waxes and wanes, and we call this time a month.
  • 3

    The 54th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.

Moonname詞源 2

  • 1

    A surname.

  • 2

    A number of places in the United States:

  • 3

    A number of places in the United States:

  • 4

    A number of places in the United States:

  • 5

    A number of places in the United States:

  • 6

    A number of places in the United States:

moonnoun/muːn/

  • 1

    informalAny natural satellite of a planet.

    • The stargazer observed the moons of Jupiter for over a year.
    • That's no moon, you idiot... it's a space station!
  • 2

    literaryA month, particularly a lunar month.

    • They stayed with their aunt and uncle for many moons.
    • For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith, Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used Their dearest action in the tented field…
  • 3

    A representation of the moon, usually as a crescent or as a circle with a face; a crescent-shaped shape, symbol, or object.

    • The wizard costume was decorated with stars and moons.
  • 4

    A crescent-like outwork in a fortification.

    • The moons surrounding the city walls were built in the sixteenth century.
  • 5

    The eighteenth trump/major arcana card of the tarot.

  • 6

    cartomancyhuman-sciencesmysticismThe thirty-second Lenormand card.

  • 7

    card-gamesgamesIn hearts, the action of taking all the point cards in one hand.

moonverb/muːn/

  • 1

    To display one's buttocks to, typically as a jest, insult, or protest.

    • The hooligans mooned the riot police.
    • It was ill-advised of Sam to moon the photographer during the shoot.
  • 2

    To gaze at lovingly or in adoration.

    • Bradly stood bewitched, mooning at the moon. Betimes he bent in a grotesque posture and looked at it between his legs, which was to rid his mind of preconceived colour values by seeing them upside down.
    • To completely back down now would be as unnatural as mooning in front of your girlfriend's parents.
  • 3

    To fuss over something adoringly; to be infatuated with someone.

    • Sarah mooned over Sam's photograph for months.
    • You've been mooning after her forever; why not just ask her out?
  • 4

    To spend time idly, absent-mindedly.

    • We were only three on board. The poor old skipper mooned in the cabin.
    • I mooned around. I was mighty sick of the room by then.
  • 5

    To expose to the rays of the Moon.

  • 6

    To adorn with moons or crescents.

  • 7

    businesscryptocurrenciescryptocurrencyTo rise in price rapidly or suddenly. (from to the moon)

    • It is impractical if a currency moons and plummets often.
    • I've followed several of the most popular crypto pundits on Twitter and discovered they constantly brag about their one big Hail Mary pick that mooned but neglect to mention – or delete – their numerous fumbles.
  • 8

    card-gamesgamesTo shoot the moon.

資料來源:英文維基詞典 English WiktionaryCC BY-SA 4.0)。 原文照列,未經改寫。