核心畫面

A big dome of cloth that fills with air. It is tied to whatever is falling, and the trapped air holds that thing back, so instead of dropping like a stone it drifts down slowly and lands .

一片撐開的大布罩:東西從高空掉下來,布被氣流灌滿、鼓成一個圓頂,空氣被兜在裡面推不出去,於是把往下墜的力道拖慢。原本更多收起一片撐開的大布罩:東西從高空掉下來,布被氣流灌滿、鼓成一個圓頂,空氣被兜在裡面推不出去,於是把往下墜的力道拖慢。原本會直直摔落的人或物,改成慢慢飄、輕輕落地。整個字都圍著這個「用空氣煞車、讓落下變安全」的畫面轉——名詞是那片布,動詞是使用那片布的動作。

From the word’s history

From French parachute, built from para- 'protect against, ward off' (as in parasol, 'ward off sun') plus chute 'a fall'. The word literally names a device that wards off the fall — which is exactly the modern core image.

來自法文 parachute,由 para-(防、擋,跟 parasol「擋太陽」的 para- 同一個)加上 chute(墜落)組成,字面就是「擋住墜落的東西」。這個字根跟現代的核心畫面幾乎重疊:傘不是讓你不掉,而是把「掉」這件事擋下來、慢下來。知道 para- 是「擋」,也就順帶看懂 parasol(陽傘)跟 parapet(防護矮牆)。

Oxford English Dictionary / Online Etymology Dictionary (French parachute, para- 'ward off' + chute 'fall')

Two branches

那片布本身

名詞用法,就是核心畫面裡的那個物件本身。

parachute · noun · B2

a large piece of cloth with strings, fastened to the back of someone who jumps out of a plane. It opens and catches the air, so the person falls slowly and lands safely on the ground.

降落傘

用傘下降的動作

動詞用法:把那片布從「東西」變成「做法」——誰或什麼藉著它慢慢降到地面。差別只在下來的是自己,還是被送下去的貨物。

parachute, jump down · verb · B2

to jump out of a plane and come down to the ground using a parachute.

跳傘

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。

Parachutename

  • 1

    A town in Garfield County, Colorado, United States, named after Parachute Creek; it was renamed Grand Valley in 1908, regaining its original name in the 1980s.

parachutenoun/ˈpæɹəʃuːt/

  • 1

    aeronauticsaerospaceaviationA device, generally constructed from fabric, that is designed to employ air resistance to control the fall of an object or person, causing them to float instead of falling.

  • 2

    biologynatural-scienceszoologyA web or fold of skin extending between the legs of gliding mammals, such as the flying squirrel and colugo.

  • 3

    Any of various mushrooms with broad, domed caps.

  • 4

    BDSMlifestylesexualityA small collar which fastens around the scrotum and from which weights can be hung.

    • Under that there are dildos and butt-plugs arranged by size on two shelves: two fat butt-plugs and four small ones, four two-headed dildos, eight ordinary dildos. Under that, the little material hanging on nails: five different pairs of nipple clamps, some clothespins, a parachute for the balls, a dog collar, two hoods, one in leather, one in latex, six cockrings, in steel or leather, regular or with built-in ball-squeezers, two dick sheaths […]
    • Parachutes are usually made of leather and can be purchased through most fetish catalogs or stores catering to the BDSM scene.
  • 5

    A large sheet of fabric used in children's physical education, often colorful, with handles allowing many people to control its motion.

parachuteverb/ˈpæɹəʃuːt/

  • 1

    To jump, fall, descend, etc. using such a device.

    • Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.
  • 2

    To introduce into a place using such a device.

    • The soldiers were parachuted behind enemy lines.
  • 3

    To place (somebody) in an organisation in a position of authority without their having previous experience there; used with in or into.

  • 4

    slangTo wrap illicit drugs in a covering before swallowing them, so that they will be released for absorption when the covering dissolves within the body.

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