| 释义 |
volubility|vɒljuːˈbɪlɪtɪ|
Also 6–7 -itie, 7 -itye.
[ad. F. volubilité (15–16th cent.; = It. volubilità, Sp. -idad, Pg. -idade), or ad. L. volūbilitās, f. volūbilis: see next and -ity.]
I.
†1. Quickness in turning from one object to another; versatility. Obs. rare.
1579Fenton Guicciard. i. (1599) 3 The wisedome and reputation of the man, togither with the naturall volubilitie of his wit. 1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xviii. §5 Orators..by the obseruing their well graced fourmes of speech..leese the volubilitie of Application.
†b. Ready variation of expression. Obs.—1
1659Harrington Valerius & Publicola 18 If you speak of Israel, Athens, Rome, Venice, or the like, they hear you with volubility of countenance.
2. The capacity of revolving, rolling, or turning round; aptness to rotate about an axis or centre.
1594Hooker Eccl. Pol. i. iii. §2 If Celestiall Spheres should forget their woonted Motions, and by irregular volubilitie turne themselues any way as it might happen. 1601Holland Pliny I. 31 The world with continuall volubilitie and turning about it, driveth the..globe thereof into the forme of a round ball. 1656Stanley Hist. Philos. viii. (1687) 432/2 He who thrust the Cylinder, gave it the beginning of motion, but did not give it volubility. 1687A. Lovell tr. Bergerac's Com. Hist. 86 It began to be out of my power any more to discern the Diversity of their several Motions by reason of their extream Volubility. 1705C. Purshall Mech. Macrocosm 296 They lose their Fluidity, which depends upon the Volubility of Globular Particles at liberty. 1740Cheyne Regimen 75 Blood Globules, by their Rotundity, Volubility, and Elasticity, resist Trituration, that is, Digestion. 1754Dict. Arts & Sci. s.v. Needle, In the construction of the horizontal needle a piece of pure steel is provided, of a length not exceeding six inches, lest its weight impede its volubility. 1871Browning Pr. Hohenst. 1920 Under pretence of making fast and sure The inch [of ascent] gained by late volubility.
b. Of the eye: Readiness in moving. rare—1.
1603Holland Plutarch's Mor. 1275 The cheerefull cast & amiable volubility of his quicke eie.
†3. Capacity for moving in an easy or gliding manner. Obs.
1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xxi. §9 Except men know exactly all the conditions of the serpent;.. his volubility and lubricity. 1610J. Guillim Heraldry iii. xviii. 153 Such Creatures..which..as it were slide from place to place, some more slowlie, but othersome with a certaine Volubility and flexible Agitation of the Bodie. 1653T. Watson Art Div. Contentm. xi. (1668) 185 The Poets painted Time with wings, to shew the volubility and swiftness of it.
†4. Tendency to change or turn from one condition to another; changeableness, mutability, inconstancy. Obs.
a. Of persons.
1603Florio Montaigne ii. i. 195 Whosoever shall heedefully survay and consider himselfe, shall finde this volubilitie and discordance to be in himselfe. 1613Shirley Trav. Persia 136 The world by taking notice of your infirmitie will alwayes feare volubilitie in all your actions. a1660Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Archæol. Soc.) I. 204 All the lawe, phisicke, and poetrie in the world canot cure or amende the flexibilitie, volubilitie, inconstancie, and treacherie of this man.
b. Of fortune or affairs.
1609Holland Amm. Marcell. 286 The volubilitie of inconstant fortune produceth these occurrences in the East parts. 1670Moral State Eng. 1 All affairs do resemble the great Machines of Heaven and Earth, in their motion and volubility. 1699T. C[ockman] tr. Tully's Offices (1706) 88 The great Volubility and Changeableness of Fortune.
II.
5. Ready flow of speech, etc.
1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie ii. v. (Arb.) 91 Which flowing of wordes with much volubilitie smoothly proceeding from the mouth is in some sort harmonicall. 1653Jer. Taylor Serm. for Year i. ii. 15 Some men..explicate our praying in the Spirit, by a mere volubilty [sic] of language. 1656Stanley Hist. Philos. v. (1687) 228/2 Cicero being at Athens heard him, and was much taken with the eloquence and volubility of his discourse. 1670Clarendon Hist. Reb. xvi. §122 The General was not a Man of Eloquence or Volubility of Speech. 1729Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 43 This unrestrained volubility and wantonness of speech is the occasion of numberless evils. 1791Cowper Odyss. xviii. 32 Gods! with what volubility of speech The table hunter prates. 1823Lamb Elia ii. Old Margate Hoy, A..young man..with..an insuppressable volubility of assertion. 1836Thirlwall Greece III. 11 The sweetness of voice, and the volubility of utterance, with which both [Pisistratus and Cimon] expressed themselves.
b. Smooth, easy, or copious flow of verse or poetic utterance.
1589Nashe in Greene Menaphon Pref. (Arb.) 6 The spacious volubilitie of a drumming decasillabon. 1751Johnson Rambler No. 92 ⁋11 The verse intended to represent the whisper of the vernal breeze, must be confessed not much to excel in softness or volubility. 1779― L.P., Pomfret (1838) 113 In his other poems there is an easy volubility.
6. The character or state of being voluble in speech; great fluency of language; readiness of speech; garrulousness.
1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. ii. i. 176 Say she be mute, and will not speake a word; Then Ile commend her volubility. 1602Marston Ant. & Mel. ii. Wks. 1856 I. 23 You have the most gracefull presence,..amazing volubility,..delicious affabilitie. 1670G. H. tr. Hist. Cardinals i. i. 13 It was my fortune to hear a Franciscan Preach.., but with more Volubility than Virtue. 1710Steele Tatler No. 115 ⁋5 His great Volubility and inimitable Manner of Speaking. 1751Johnson Rambler No. 157 ⁋8 Long familiarity with my subject enabled me to discourse with ease and volubility. 1781R. King Mod. Lond. Spy 118 The following account, which she delivered with great volubility. 1826F. Reynolds Life & Times II. 11 He took the lead in conversation, and his natural volubility, increased by sudden joy, carried all before it. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xi. III. 25 Before he had been a member three weeks, his volubility, his asperity, and his pertinacity had made him conspicuous. 1875H. James Mme. de Mauves i, Her volubility was less suggestive than the latter's silence.
7. Extreme readiness of the tongue in respect of speech or discourse.
1612W. Martyn Youths Instr. 99 The volubilitie of a smooth tongue is nothing profitable. 1650R. Stapylton Strada's Low C. Wars iii. 67 A Counsellour of great subtilty and volubility of tongue. 1699Garth Dispens. iii. 36 Both had the Volubility of Tongue, In Meaning faint, but in Opinion strong. 1711Steele Spect. No. 252 ⁋3 You have mentioned only the Volubility of their Tongue. 1755Smollett Quix. (1803) II. 6 All this preamble was uttered..with such volubility of tongue,..that they admired her good sense as much as her beauty.
b. Similarly of the throat, voice, etc.
1740Cibber Apol. (1756) I. 282 In volubility of throat the former [singer] had much the superiority. 1769Goldsm. Hist. Rome (1786) II. 225 Nero..used all those methods which singers practice either to mend the voice, or improve its volubility. 1884Encycl. Brit. XVII. 98/2 These [harmonics on horns and trumpets] they executed with volubility akin to that displayed on fingered instruments. |