| 释义 |
muryan, n. Eng. regional (Cornwall).
Brit. |ˈmʌrɪən|, |ˈmʌrjən|, U.S. |ˈməriən|, |ˈmərjən|
Forms: 18 meryan, 18 meryon, 18 myryan, 18– muryan
[‹ Cornish muryon (collective) ants, cognate with Breton merien, collective (compare Old Breton moriuon, Middle Breton meryenenn, singulative), Welsh myrion, collective (singulative myrionen, secondary singular form (after plurals in -ion) mŷr ant (1632: see mire n.2)). Compare maur n., pismire n.
The sense ‘fairy’ is not attested in Cornish.]
An ant. Also (in Cornish mythology): a type of fairy (see quot. 2002).
Occas. used as a term of endearment.
1865R. Hunt Pop. Romances W. Eng. (1st Ser.) 131 The ant is called by the peasantry a Muryan... If you place a piece of tin in a bank of muryans at a certain age of the moon, it will be turned into silver. 1880M. A. Courtney Gloss. Words W. Cornwall in Gloss. Cornwall 37/2 She's fayther's little meryon. 1953K. M. Briggs Personnel of Fairyland i.56 The Cornish people are very careful to avoid hurting muryans (as ants are called there) for they have a good will for the Small People. 2002N. Drury Dict. Esoteric 222/2 Muryans, in Cornish folk-legend, fairies who were originally larger than human beings in size but who, year by year, grew smaller in size until they became ants and died. |