| 释义 |
▪ I. impair, n.1 Obs. or arch.|ɪmˈpɛə(r)|
Also 7 em-.
[f. impair v.]
An act of impairing; the fact of being impaired; impairment.
1568North tr. Gueuara's Diall Pr. (1582) 371 Halfe a dishonour, and an impair of his credit. 1598Chapman Achilles' Shield in Homer (1875) 13 Nor is it more impair to an honest and absolute man's sufficiency to have few friends, than [etc.]. 1612― Widowes T. Plays 1873 III. 36 Pocket it:..it's no impaire to thee: the greatest doo't. 1615G. Sandys Trav. 102 Such and such like affoord they yearely without empaire to themselues. 1677Hale Prim. Orig. Man. iv. iii. 318 An impair of that Sovereignty and Dominion over the Creatures. 1848J. A. Carlyle tr. Dante's Inferno 28 To keep its beauty from impair.
▪ II. ˈimpair, a. (and n.2)
[Cf. F. impair unequal (1484 in Godef. Compl.), and pair.]
†1. (?) ‘Unsuitable’ (T.), unfit; inferior. Obs. (But the reading is disputed.)
1606Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iv. v. 103 (Fol. 1) Yet giues he not till iudgement guide his bounty, Nor dignifies an impaire [Qo. 1 impare; Globe, etc. impure] thought with breath.
2. a. Not paired; not forming one of a pair; odd. b. n. An unpaired individual thing; an odd one. In roulette (with pronunc. ɛ̃pɛr), an odd number, or a number marked ‘impair’.
1839–47Todd Cycl. Anat. III. 829/1 This impair bone..is..the representative of the superior occipitals of Cuvier. 1850Bohn's Hand-bk. Games 348 (Roulette) The impair wins, when the ball enters a hole numbered impair. 1880J. Abercromby in Academy 23 Oct. 294/1 Grouping the letters in two sets of pairs and an impair, which again pairs with the other impairs. 1891‘L. Hoffman’ Cycl. Card & Table Games 626 If he places his money on Impair, he bets that the ball will drop into an odd number. 1902Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 304/1 Pair indicates even numbers, impair odd numbers. 1966‘W. Haggard’ Power House xii. 125 The croupier was paying out. Mortimer was on the Impair side. 1973L. Meynell Thirteen Trumpeters iv. 66 His right hand was..stretching out to place his stake on the next throw (a green on pair)... ‘Impair’ was called.
▪ III. impair, v.|ɪmˈpɛə(r)|
Forms: α. 4 ampayr-i, anpayr-i, apayr-i, etc. (see appair). β. 4–6 enpeire, -peyre, -paire, -payre, empeyre, 4–7 empare, empeire, -paire, -payre, 5 enpare, 7 empair. γ. 5–7 impaire, -payre, 6 impeire, impere, inpayre, 6–7 impare, 7– impair.
[The current form impair is a partially Latinized refashioning of the earlier empaire, empeire, a. OF. empeirer, ampeirer to make worse:—Lat. type *impēiōrāre to make worse, f. im- (im-1) + pēior worse. The earliest form was ampayre, whence apeyre appair. Empeyre, closest to contemporary French, was commonest in 15–16th c. Late in 15th c. the prefix began to be spelt im- after Lat., giving the current impair, which has superseded empair since c 1660. Cf. appair, pair, empyre.]
1. trans. To make worse, less valuable, or weaker; to lessen injuriously; to damage, injure.
α [1297–1643: see appair 1.]
βc1374Chaucer Boeth. iv. pr. iii. 93 (Camb. MS.) Thanne is the Meede of goode folk swich þat no day shal enpeyren it. c1375Cato Major iv. xxxiv. in Anglia VII, Empeyre þou nouȝt hire fame. 1494Fabyan Chron. vii. ccxxxiv. 270 Y⊇ cytie of Danas..he assauted and enpayred very sore. 1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 253 b, The possession might seme to be enpaired. 1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 315 In hope that I shoulde recover my health, which sicknesse had empayred. 1602W. Fulbecke 2nd Pt. Parall. 22 Whereby hee was empeired and became worse. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. ii. ii. §77 It never wastes nor empairs an Estate. 1658–78Phillips, Empair [1696 (ed. 5) Impair].
γ1488–9Act 4 Hen. VII, c. 19 The defence of this land..[is] impaired. 1533More Debell. Salem Wks. 1029/2 [It] yet helpeth not hys matter, but impayreth it much. 1667Milton P.L. v. 665 Satan..could not beare Through pride that sight, and thought himself impaird. 1703Moxon Mech. Exerc. 239 No time will impair or decay those Grey Kentish Bricks. 1742Young Nt. Th. vii. 986 This argument is old; but truth No years impair. 1862Sir B. Brodie Psychol. Inq. II. ii. 50 The best memory may be impaired by neglect.
b. refl.
1481Caxton Myrr. i. iv. 14 They empayre them self so moche that they may not lerne no good. 1484― Curial 3 Wyse men..for none auauncement ne hauyng of good enpayre not them self.
†c. pass. To be destitute of, or badly off for.
1591Horsey Trav. (Hakluyt Soc.) 255 If I wear impared of mony, he would send me out of his own treasur.
2. intr. (for refl.) To grow or become worse, less valuable, weaker, or less; to suffer injury or loss; to deteriorate, fall off, or decay. ? Obs.
α [1340–1581: see appair 2.]
βc1380Sir Ferumb. 4691 Þe power of hem enpayrede faste. 1486Bk. St. Albans C vj b, The Eyghen will swell and empeyre in her hede. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxix. 279 The kynge..lay sore sicke..and euery daye he enpayred worse and worse. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. vii. 41 Flesh may empaire,..but reason can repaire. 1600F. Walker Sp. Mandeville 71 a, The sicke Gentleman daily so empaired in health.
γ1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxlv. 364 The prince dayly impered of a sicknesse. 1579Twyne Phisicke agst. Fort. ii. xxviii. 205 a, All thinges impaire, and goe backewarde. 1648Boyle Seraph. Love (1660) 152 Cœlestial Pleasures..not impairing by being used Long. 1729Swift Lett. to Pope Wks. 1761 VIII. 93 When years increase, and perhaps your health impairs. 1827Southey in Life (1850) V. 284 His own health and faculties sensibly impairing day by day. |