mildew

英 ['m?ldju?] 美['m?ldu]

IELTS暢通詞匯

1. Melissa => mil- "honey" + dew => honeydew, nectar.
2. 其含義演變為“霉”，是因為“霉”與“蜜，蜜汁”具有相似特征和特質。
3. Greek meli "honey", Latin mel "honey".

mildew 霉，霉菌

mil-,甜的，詞源同molasses,dew,露珠。該詞原義為甘汁，蜜露。現詞義可能是受meal(粉)影響，即粉狀露珠，用以形容發霉，霉菌。

mildew: mildew: [OE] Mildew originally meant ‘honeydew’ (which is a sort of sticky substance exuded by aphids and similar insects on to leaves). It is a compound noun formed in the prehistoric Germanic period from *melith ‘honey’ (a relative of Latin mel ‘honey’, source of English mellifluous and molasses) and *daw-waz, ancestor of English dew. The metaphorical transference from ‘honey-dew’ to a less pleasant, fungal growth on plants, etc took place in the 14th century.
=> dew, mellifluous, molasses
mildew (n.): mid-13c., mildeu "honeydew, nectar," from Old English meledeaw "honeydew" (sticky stuff exuded by aphids), from Proto-Germanic compound of *melith "honey" (see Melissa) + *dawwaz "dew" (see dew). Similar formation in Old Saxon milidou, Dutch meeldauw, German Meltau "mildew."

First element in many cases assimilated to forms of meal (n.2) "ground grain." As a kind of fungus it is first recorded mid-14c., so called from its being sticky and originally growing in plants. As a verb from 1550s. Related: Mildewed.

1. He was already asleep in the bed, which smelled faintly of mildew.: 他已經在略帶霉味的床上睡著了。

2. The grain is liable to mildew when the humidity in the barn is too high.: 倉庫里潮氣太大,糧食就容易發霉.