| 释义 |
‖ namaste, n. and int. India.|ˈnɑːmæsteɪ|
Also namasthe.
[Hindi, ad. Skr. námas, bowing, obeisance + te dat. of tuam, you (sing.).]
A. n. A salutatory gesture made by bringing the palms together before the face or chest and bowing. Also attrib.
1948Time 16 Aug. 30 In response Nehru closed palms in front of his chest. This traditional Hindu namasthe (greeting) is as much a part of his public manner as was the V sign for Churchill. 1951J. Masters Nightrunners Bengal vii. 97 She brought her palms together in front of her face and moved them up to her forehead and down again in the gesture called namaste. 1959M. Brecher Nehru 385 A young man stepped forward from the crowd and greeted Gandhi in the traditional namaste salutation, joining his hands palm to palm and bowing slightly. 1960Koestler Lotus & Robot i. i. 52 A toothless Brahmin..walked in and, after a dignified namaste, hung a garland round my neck. 1965E. Linton World in Grain of Sand vii. 114, I shall be waiting for a letter from you. Namastes and love from Savitri. Ibid., I join my hands in ‘namaste’ to you and Chander Kala. 1973‘B. Mather’ Snow Line vii. 79 The namaste sign..is with the palms together as in prayer, head bowed reverently and nose touching the fingertips.
B. int. Used as a respectful greeting.
1967D. C. Cooke c/o American Embassy (1968) ii. 21 ‘Namaste, Sahib,’ the Sikh said. 1969‘E. Peters’ Mourning Raga iii. 48 She pressed her hands together in reverence to him, and bowed her head..‘Namaste!’
Hence ˈnamaste v. intr., to give the namaste sign.
1969J. K. Galbraith Ambassador's Jrnl. xxvi. 586 After we had shaken hands, waved, namasted and got on board, the crowd lined up by the plane and one of the engines failed to start. 1971R. Parkes Line of Fire xi. 101 He namasted gravely. 1971Illustr. Weekly India 18 Apr. 6 The crowds clustered there drew apart, respectfully ‘namasteing’, as the big man at the wheel acknowledged their greetings and drove in. |