| 释义 |
infrequent, a.|ɪnˈfriːkwənt|
[ad. L. infrequent-em, f. in- (in-3) + frequent-em frequent. Cf. F. infréquent (Littré).]
Not frequent.
†1. Not much resorted to or practised; little used; unaccustomed, uncommon. Obs.
1531Elyot Gov. i. xxi, Mater..infrequent, or seldome herde of them that haue nat radde very many autors in greke and latine. Ibid. iii. xxii, Frugalite, the acte wherof is at this day..infrequent or out of use amonge all sortes of men.
†2. Not crowded; thinly peopled, occupied, or filled. Obs. rare.
1681Whole Duty Nations 15 A Neighbourhood, whether it be the more populous of Cities..or the more infrequent of Villages.
3. Not occurring often, happening rarely; recurring at wide intervals of time.
1612–15Bp. Hall Contempl., N.T. iii. v, It is not so infrequent for a multitude to conspire in evill. 1622― Deceit Appearance Wks. (1648) 455 A poore conscionable Christian..cooling his infrequent pleasures with sighs, and saucing them with teares. 1756Johnson Abr. Eng. Dict. Pref. ⁋2 Words of infrequent occurrence. 1876C. M. Yonge Womankind viii. 56 The treat should be sufficiently infrequent to be a real subject of anticipation.
b. Qualifying an agent-noun: That does something seldom or infrequently.
1722Wollaston Relig. Nat. i. v. (1724) 18 A sparing and infrequent worshiper of the Deity. 1881World 28 Dec., The rare and infrequent rustic visitor to London.
4. Occurring or met with at wide distances apart; not plentiful; rather few and far between.
a1682Sir T. Browne Tracts 81 The Myrtle..no rare or infrequent Plant among them. 1858Sat. Rev. 20 Nov. 501/2 Globigerina is comparatively infrequent. 1884Harper's Mag. Aug. 370/1 These windows are small and infrequent.
b. Zool. and Bot. Of spines, punctures, glands, etc.: Thinly or sparsely planted; distantly placed. |