| 释义 |
Excalibur|ɛkˈskælɪbə(r)|
Also 5 escalibourc, excalaber, excalybur, 7 escalibour, 9 excalibar, -our.
[a. OF. Escalibor (with many variant spellings), corrupt form of Caliburn, in Geoffrey of Monmouth (c 1140) Caliburnus.
The Welsh form in the Mabinogion is Caledvwlch, which has a resemblance, that cannot well be accidental, to Caladbolg, the name of a famous sword in Irish legend. The Welsh and Irish forms do not correspond phonetically: the one or the other has probably undergone corruption. Prof. Rhys, taking the Irish form as the correct one, suggests the translation ‘hard-belly’, i.e. ‘voracious,’ and thinks the Welsh form may have come from Breton.]
The name of King Arthur's sword.
[c1300Merlin (Huth MS.) 101 c, Saicies..que l'espee est apielee par son droit non Escalibor.] a1450Le Morte Arth. 3448 Excalaber, my swerd good. c1450Merlin vii. 118 The right name [of the sword] was cleped Escaliboure, whiche is a name in ebrewe, that is to sey in englissh, kyttynge, Iren, tymber, and steill. 1470–85Malory Arthur v. viii, Kyng Arthur..smote hym ageyne with Excalibur that it clefte his hede. 1598B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. iii. i, You talk of Morglay, Excalibur, Durindana. 1825Scott Talism. xxvii, No sword on earth, were it the Excalibar of King Arthur, can cut that which opposes no steady resistance to the blow. 1842Tennyson Morte d'Arthur 103 King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, Wrought by the lonely maiden of the Lake. |