释义 |
‖ madrina, n. (maˈðrina; anglicized mədˈriːnə) [Sp. madrina godmother; protectress; lead mare.] 1. A mare of at least five years old which wears a bell and leads a troop of pack animals, esp. mules.
1835C. Darwin Diary 18 Mar. (1933) 288 The Madrina is a mare with a little bell round her neck... The affection of the mules for the Madrina saves an infinity of trouble. 1913Webster s.v., Madrina, an animal (usually an old mare), wearing a bell and acting as the leader of a troop of pack mules. 1928Funk's Stand. Dict. s.v., Madrina, the leader of a train of pack-mules. 2. a. [The literal sense in Sp.] A godmother.
1971J. H. Kelley in R. Moisés et al. Tall Candle p. xlv, Rosalio's paternal grandmother was almost a professional madrina, so many times did she serve in that capacity. 1986D. Chávez Last of Menu Girls 168 God help the ahijado, if he forgets who his madrina or padrino is. 1992R. Anaya Alburquerque viii. 91 In the faces of the padrino and madrina I saw and understood the godparents' role. b. transf. and fig.
1979Washington Post 27 May F5/6 The madrina (or godmother) gives you a bath with 1001 herbs and sings in African. 1991Internat. Jrnl. Refugee Law III. 225 There are only officially about 1,500 federal judicial police.., but each of them has his own private paramilitary group working with him. These men, known as ‘Madrinas’, godmothers, number an estimated 5,000. 1994Town & Country Monthly May 134/1 Donors are invited to become madrinas ‘godmothers’ to funded projects, helping with fundraising and public relations. |