| 释义 |
unˈlettered, a.
[un-1 9. Cf. MDu. ongelettert, Du. ongeletterd.]
1. Not instructed in letters; not possessed of book-learning.
c1340Hampole Prose Tr. 32 Anoþer mane..unletterede may noght so redyly hafe at his hand Haly Writt. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 181 A man forsoþe..þat was unlettred, but ful myghty in money. c1440Alph. Tales 468 When þe abbott Pambo was vnletterd, he went vnto a man þat was letterd [etc.]. 1544Leland N.Y. Gift in Itin. (1768) I. p. xix, The Italians..counte..al other nations to be barbarus and onletterid saving their owne. 1593[see unlectured ppl. a.]. 1624Gataker Transubst. 156 As children or unlettered persons, when they looke on bookes, know not the power of the letter. 1642Milton Apol. Smect. 36 Such a lost construction, as no man either letter'd or unletter'd will be able to piece up. 1747Wesley Prim. Physick (1762) p. xxiv, Easy to be applied by plain unlettered Men. 1781Cowper Conversat. 12 As alphabets in ivory employ..the yet unletter'd boy. 1817Chalmers Disc. Chr. Revel. ii. 86 The mind of an ordinary and unlettered peasant. 1867A. J. Wilson Vashti xxv, Sturdy but unlettered mechanics.
absol.1751Johnson Rambler No. 180 ⁋2 The unlettered and unenlightened. 1812G. Chalmers Dom. Econ. Gt. Brit. Pref. 14 That the learned are sometimes too confident, and the unlettered always too credulous. 1861Stanley East. Ch. viii. (1869) 273 Sacred pictures..are the Bibles of the unlettered.
b. Pertaining to, characterized by, ignorance of letters.
1588Shakes. L.L.L. iv. ii. 18 After his..vnpolished, vneducated,..or rather, vnlettered..fashion. 1697Collier Ess. Mor. Subj. ii. (1703) 99 Books..give a more universal insight into things, than can be learned from unlettered observation. 1763J. Brown Poetry & Music iv. 36 Savages..in their present unlettered State of Ignorance and Simplicity. 1807G. Chalmers Caledonia I. iii. vii. 423 An upright stone still forms the unlettered memorial of his odious end. 1820Hazlitt Lett. Dram. Lit. 186 They were learned men in an unlettered age. a1864Hawthorne Amer. Note-bks. (1879) I. 142 His conversation has much strong, unlettered sense.
2. Not expressed in, or marked with, letters.
1633P. Fletcher Poet. Misc., Asclepiads 1 Unletter'd Word, which never eare could heare. 1782[T. Maude] Verbeia 37 This unlettered tomb is in a mutilated state.
Hence † unˈletteredly adv., unˈletteredness.
c1440Promp. Parv. 366/1 On-letterydly, illiterate. 1653E. Waterhouse Apol. Learn. 120 Ignorance and unletterednesse ill becomes any man who bears the Image of God. 1890Bp. Hobhouse Churchw. Acc. (Somerset) p. xxiii, The entire unletteredness of the community. |