| 释义 |
eu-, prefix
repr. Gr. εὐ-, combining form of ἐύς good, used in neut. form εὖ as adv. = well. In Gr. the words with this as first element are primarily adjs. (often used as ns., and in many instances giving rise to derivative ns. or vbs.). Of these many are parasynthetic f. ns., as εὔστοµος having a good mouth, f. στόµ-α mouth, εὐσχήµων having a good form, f. σχῆµ-α form. In others the second element is a verbal root or a verbal adj. in -τος; the sense of the compound varies (often in the same word) between active and passive; in those that are active the prefix has the force of ‘well’; in those of passive signification its sense is sometimes ‘well’, more commonly ‘easily’: thus, εὐλαβής ‘taking good hold’, ‘easy to take hold of’, f. λαβ- ‘to take’; εὔπρᾱκτος ‘doing well, prosperous’, ‘easy to do’, f. πρᾱκ- (πρᾱ́σσειν) to do; εὐποίητος well made, f. ποιεῖν to make. In Eng. the prefix occurs almost exclusively in words of Gr. derivation, as eulogy, euphemism, or formed on Gr. elements, as eucalyptus; the few exceptions are terms of mod. scientific classification.
In late L. the u in this prefix when occurring before vowels was consonantized (i.e. became v), and in order to preserve the traditional quantity of the syllable the ē was made long, as in ēvangelium. The derivatives and cognates of evangelium are almost the only words current in Eng. with the ev- form of the prefix; in Fr. it is much more common, being used even in recent formations from Gr. elements. |