| 释义 |
ingenious, a.|ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs|
Also 6–7 en-.
[prob. a. 15th c. F. ingénieux, -euse, OF. engeignos, -eus, ad. L. ingeniōsus intellectual, talented, clever, ingenious, f. ingenium natural quality, character, or capacity; ability, genius, cleverness, a clever thought, an invention: see -ous.]
I. Senses proper to this word.
†1. Having high intellectual capacity; able, talented, possessed of genius. Obs. in general sense.
1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 113/1 He was Ingenyous ayenst the fallace of the deuyl. 1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV 231 The engenious witte of the Frenche men, excell the dull braynes of Englishmen. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, iii. i. 155 Oh 'tis a perillous Boy, Bold, quicke, ingenious, forward, capable. 1649Lovelace Lucasta (1864) 9 Temples no less ingenious then Joves. a1704T. Brown Praise Drunkenness Wks. 1730 I. 35 Wine gives all things, it makes the dull ingenious. 1772Sir W. Jones Poems Pref. (1777) 10 Translated a few years ago from the Persian by a very ingenious gentleman. 1807T. Thomson Chem. (ed. 3) II. 212 According to the experiments of that ingenious chemist.
†b. Of an action, composition, etc.: Showing cleverness, talent, or genius. Obs. in general sense: see 3 b.
1509Hawes Past. Pleas. viii. (Percy Soc.) 31 Then must the mynde werke upon them all, By cours ingenious to rynne dyrectly After theyr thoughtes. a1661Fuller Worthies (1840) II. 425 Freely to follow his own ingenious inclinations. 1711Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) III. 255 'Twas a good ingenious Sermon, about Praise. 1809Med. Jrnl. XXI. 321 Some ingenious observations on Purpura, by Dr. Parry.
†2. Intelligent, discerning, sensible. Obs.
1571Digges Pantom. iii. viii. R j b, Wherof to the ingeniouse there need no other Example. a1661Fuller Worthies (1840) III. 201 Especially if some ingenious gentle⁓men would encourage the industrious gardeners by letting ground on reasonable rates unto them. 1666Boyle Orig. Formes & Qual. To Rdr., Some Readers even among the ingenioser sort of them will take it up much better. 1733Gent Rippon 46 note, Travels of Cyrus..worthy the Perusal of every ingenious Person. 1824L. Murray Eng. Gram. (ed. 5) I. 387 Many of the rules and observations respecting Prosody, are taken from ‘Sheridan's Art of Reading’; to which book the Compiler refers the ingenious student.
†b. Of animals: Intelligent, sagacious. rare.
1608Topsell Serpents (1658) 604 If there had not been naturally some extraordinary faculty of understanding in this beast..His wisdome would never have sent us to a serpent..but rather to some other ingenious beast, whereof there were great store in the world. 1691Ray Creation i. (1692) 198 The most noble and ingenious Creatures that live there, the Cetaceous kind.
3. Having an aptitude for invention or construction; clever at contriving or making things; skilful. This (with 3 b) is the current use.
Now usually somewhat light or sometimes even depreciative, expressing aptitude for curious device rather than solid inventiveness or skill.
1576Baker Jewell of Health 8 a, The workman and practiser, howe ingeniouser and better advysed he shall be, so much the more [etc.]. 1638F. Junius Paint. of Ancients 316 The laborious care of an ingenious and industrious artificer. 1668–9Marvell Corr. Wks. 1872–5 II. 245 Every one will be as ingenious as he can to his own profit. 1703Moxon Mech. Exerc. 57 According to my Observation and common Consent of the most ingenious Workmen. 1798Ferriar Illustr. Sterne ii. 26 Which several ingenious men have amused themselves by contriving. 1878Jevons Prim. Pol. Econ. 35 The division of labour leads to invention, because it enables ingenious men to make invention their profession. 1885S. Cox Expos. Ser. i. viii. 99 So ingenious are we in tormenting ourselves.
b. Of things, actions, etc.: Showing cleverness of invention or construction; skilfully or curiously contrived or made.
1548Hall Chron., Rich. III 48 Yf no ingenyous remedye coulde be otherwise invented. 1555Eden Decades To Rdr. (Arb.) 49 Ingenious inuentions of experte artificers. 1634Brereton Trav. (1844) 2 A most ingenious copperas work erected. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. v, They made abundance of most ingenious things in wicker-work. 1822J. Imison Sc. & Art I. 360 An ingenious contrivance, and well adapted to the purpose. 1860Maury Phys. Geog. Sea (Low) xiii. §563 The most ingenious and beautiful contrivances for deep-sea soundings were resorted to.
II. Used by confusion for ingenuous or L. ingenuus.
†4. Having or showing a noble disposition, high-minded; honest, candid, open, frank, ingenuous.
1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxii. §5. 141 In requitall of which ingenious moderation the rest that withstood them did it in peaceable sort. c1680Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 527 Our Lord having heard this ingenious confession. 1738Neal Hist. Purit. IV. 187 If Dr. Hewet had shewn himself an ingenious person, and would have owned..his share in the design against him, he would have spared his life.
†5. Well born or bred. Obs.
1638F. Junius Paint. of Ancients 286 Neither will any man who hath but a drop of ingenious bloud in his breast, trifle away both his art and time. 1692Washington tr. Milton's Def. Pop. xii. (1851) 247 All manner of Slavery is scandalous and disgraceful to a freeborn ingenious Person. 1707J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. iii. xi. 386 (Colleges London) Any other thing that may any way contribute to the Accomplishment of an ingenious Nobleman or Gentleman.
†6. Of employment, education, etc.: Befitting a well-born person; ‘liberal’. Obs.
1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. i. i. 9 A course of Learning, and ingenious studies. 1643S. Marshall Let. Vind. Himself 7 Suppose a free man indents with another to be his servant in some ingenious employment. 1776Adam Smith W.N. i. i. x. I. 125 Education in the ingenious arts and in the liberal professions.
†7. Inborn, innate (= L. ingenuus). Obs. rare.
1601–2W. Fulbecke 1st Pt. Parall. 58 Curtesie is a free, spontaneal and ingenious quality, to which no inforcement can be used. |