uncouth「无礼的；粗鲁的」

Word of the Day： March 12, 2022

uncouth

无礼的；粗鲁的

adjective un-KOOTH [ʌnˈkuθ]

What It Means

Uncouth means 'behaving in a rude way' or 'not polite or socially acceptable.'

Uncouth 意思是“举止粗鲁的”或“不礼貌的或不被社会所接受的”。

UNCOUTH in Context

'The Senate president had the power to call the vote at any time and end debate, but custom, courtesy, and precedent prevented such an uncouth step.' — The Journal-Advocate (Sterling, Colorado), 24 Jan. 2022

“The Senate president 有权在任何时候召集投票并结束争论，但在习惯、礼貌上和常态下阻止了这一无礼的举动。

Stacy realized it would be uncouth to show up to the party without a gift, so she picked up a bottle of wine on the way.

Stacy 意识到不带礼物出席聚会很不礼貌，所以她拿了一瓶酒。

Did You Know?

Uncouth comes from Old English cūth, meaning 'familiar' or 'known,' prefixed by un-, giving the meaning 'unfamiliar.' How did a word that meant 'unfamiliar' come to mean 'outlandish,' 'rugged,' or 'rude'? Some examples from literature illustrate that the transition happened quite naturally. In Captain Singleton, Daniel Defoe refers to 'a strange noise more uncouth than any they had ever heard.' In William Shakespeare's As You Like It, Orlando tells Adam, 'If this uncouth forest yield anything savage, I will either be food for it or bring it for food to thee.' In Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane fears 'to look over his shoulder, lest he should behold some uncouth being tramping close behind him!' So, that which is unfamiliar is often perceived as strange, wild, or unpleasant. Meanings such as 'outlandish,' 'rugged,' or 'rude' naturally follow.

Uncouth 来自古英语 cūth，意思是“familiar【熟悉的】”或“known【已知的】”，前缀un-，指“unfamiliar【不熟悉的】”。 一个指“unfamiliar”的词是如何变成“outlandish【古怪的】”、“rugged【粗犷的】”或“rude【粗鲁的】”？ 在文章中的一些例子指出，这是自然而然产生的。 在《辛格尔顿船长》中，丹尼尔·笛福写到“a strange noise more uncouth than any they had ever heard.【一个奇怪的声响比他们听过的任何声音都要粗野】”。 在威廉·莎士比亚的《如你所愿》中，奥兰多告诉亚当：“If this uncouth forest yield anything savage, I will either be food for it or bring it for food to thee.【如果这片粗野森林产生的任何野蛮物种，我要么做它的食物，要么把它拿来给你做食物】。” 在华盛顿·欧文的《沉睡谷传奇》中，伊卡博德·克兰害怕“to look over his shoulder, lest he should behold some uncouth being tramping close behind him【他回头看看，以避免看到一个粗鲁的人在身后走来走去！】” 因此 unfamiliar 通常被认为是strange【奇怪的】、wild【狂野的】或unpleasant【不愉快的】。像“outlandish【古怪的】”、“rugged【粗犷的】”或“rude【粗鲁的】”的含义就随之而来。

Quiz

Unscramble the letters to create a word for an uncouth person: LVILAIN.

villain