grovel
grovel这个词有以下含义:
(TRY TO PLEASE)过分地尊敬某人,表现出你非常想讨好他们:他写了一封卑躬屈膝的道歉信。
(MOVE)在地面上或靠近地面移动:我在沙发下面爬来爬去,试图找到我的隐形眼镜。
(intransitive verb)向地面爬行或躺着:(出于恐惧);通过像一个恐惧的奴隶那样的行为来贬低自己:畏缩。
grovel这个词的词源是:
"Grovel"一词源于中古英语的“gruf”或“groff”,意为“趴下,蜷缩”。这个词最早可以追溯到古英语的“grafan”,意为“挖掘,刨”,后来演化成了“趴下”的意思。现代英语中,“grovel”通常被用来形容一个人出于恐惧、尊敬或屈服等原因而在地上匍匐前行的姿态。
与苏格兰grovel, gruvil(“爬行,卑躬屈膝”),德语grübeln(“沉思,思考”),新挪威语gruvla(“爬行,卑躬屈膝”)同源。
grovel这个词可以用以下方法记忆:
可以把它拆分成gravel(砾石)和el(他),想象一个人为了讨好别人而在砾石上爬行,称呼对方为“大人”。
可以把它和其他以-el结尾的单词联系起来,比如rebel(反叛者),然后用它们造句。例如:He was a rebel who refused to grovel before anyone.
可以用谐音或押韵的单词来帮助记忆,比如novel(小说),shovel(铲子),travel(旅行)。例如:She wrote a novel about a woman who had to grovel for her husband’s forgiveness. He used a shovel to dig a hole and groveled inside it. He liked to travel around the world and grovel at the feet of different leaders.
grovel这个词在不同含义下的例句有:
She hated her boss but she had to grovel to him every day for a promotion. 她讨厌她的老板,但她每天都要卑躬屈膝地向他求晋升。
The thief groveled on the ground and begged for mercy when he saw the police. 小偷看到警察就趴在地上乞求饶恕。
He enjoyed groveling in his own misery and refused any help from others. 他喜欢沉溺于自己的悲惨中,拒绝别人的任何帮助。