核心畫面

One way to hold this word: everything it says comes from one object, a prism — a solid piece of glass with flat sides. That object gives two different things to talk about. There is the block itself, with its flat faces and its length; and there is what it does to light, opening plain white into a clean band of separate colours. Each meaning of prismatic picks up one of those two: the block, or the rainbow the block makes.

可以想成:這個字講的一切,都來自一塊東西——稜鏡,一塊側面平整的玻璃柱。這塊東西給了兩個可以講的點。一個是它本身:平更多收起可以想成:這個字講的一切,都來自一塊東西——稜鏡,一塊側面平整的玻璃柱。這塊東西給了兩個可以講的點。一個是它本身:平的面、長長的柱身。另一個是它對光做的事:把白光打開,分成一條一條乾淨的顏色。prismatic 的每個意思,不是接到那塊玻璃,就是接到它分出來的那道彩虹。

From the word’s history

Borrowed from French prismatique, formed from prism plus -atic; the Greek root behind prism is connected with sawing, a thing cut into a shape with flat faces.

借自法文 prismatique,由 prism 加上 -atic 構成;prism 再往上的希臘文詞根跟「鋸」有關,指被鋸出平整面的東西。這正好對上那塊玻璃柱的樣子。

Wiktionary entry for prismatic, etymology_text supplied in this packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1247702791)

Two branches

那塊玻璃本身

這一組貼著那塊玻璃走:不是說裡面裝了它,就是說長得像它。

adjective · C1

Used about a tool or instrument that has a prism inside it, or that works by sending light through a prism.

裝有稜鏡的

玻璃分出來的那道光

不再講那塊玻璃,改講它做出來的結果:被打開、被分乾淨的顏色。

adjective · C1

Used about colour or light that is very clear and bright, with the separate rainbow colours showing, the way light looks after it has passed through a prism.

七彩絢麗的