| 释义 |
perilous, a. (adv.)|ˈpɛrɪləs|
Forms: see peril, and cf. parlous.
[a. AF. perillous = OF. perillos, -eus, mod.F. périlleux:—L. perīculōs-um, f. perīcul-um: see peril and -ous.]
1. Fraught with peril; causing or occasioning great danger; full of risk; dangerous; hazardous.
c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 258/84 Heo come to a deop watur and perilous. c1350Will. Palerne 1191 Þere þe pres was perelouste, he priked in formest. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxix. (Placidas) 2 Lat penance is rycht perolouse. c1470Gol. & Gaw. 1104 Ane wounder peralous poynt. 1484Caxton Fables of æsop iii. xx, To conuerse with folke of euylle lyf is a thyng moche peryllous. 1545T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde 62 This is the parelloust maner of byrth that is. 1643Prynne Sov. Power Parl. i. (ed. 2) 21 Put to death as a perilous enemy to the Kingdome. 1789Belsham Ess. I. viii. 165 Mr. Locke and his friends are reduced to a most perplexing and perilous dilemma. 1836W. Irving Astoria III. 165 The latter felt they were in a perilous predicament. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 32 The most arduous and perilous duties of friendship.
†2. Capable of inflicting or doing serious harm; arousing a feeling of peril; greatly to be dreaded or avoided; dreadful, terrible, awful; = parlous 2. Obs.
c1386Chaucer Reeve's T. 269 Alayn auyse thee The Millere is a perilous man. c1430Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 119 A perilous clymbyng whan beggers up arise To hye estate. 1525Ld. Berners Froiss. II. ccxlii. [ccxxxix.] 747 They are the peryloust people of the worlde, and most outragyoust if they be vp. 1530Palsgr. 588/1 It is a perylous noyse, I tell you, to here a bee hosse in a boxe. a1548Hall Chron., Rich. III 29 b, When any blusteringe wynde perelous thunder or terrible tempest, chansed. 1579W. Wilkinson Confut. Familye of Loue 26 b, Instructed how with a malitious mynde and perilous wit, he might runne descant at will. 1592Shakes. Rom. & Jul. i. iii. 53 It had vpon it brow..A perilous knock, and it cryed bitterly. 1606Holland Sueton. 134 With her perilous fingers..shee would not sticke to lay at the face and eyes of other small Children playing together with her.
†B. as adv. = parlous B. Obs.
1598R. Bernard tr. Terence, Heautont. iii. iii, This is a perilous naughtie queane. 1849James Woodman xii, Lovel, you look perilous grim.
Add:[1.] b. Postpositively in allusion to Malory's Siege Perilous (see siege n. 1 e), esp. for emphasis or ironically.
1931E. A. Robertson Four Frightened People iv. 136 ‘I suppose..professionally..this..would be described as ‘The Hazardous Picnic’?’..‘‘Perilous’, not ‘hazardous’.’..And invert for emphasis when possible—‘The Picnic Perilous’. 1983G. Lord Tooth & Claw ii. 11 Others..regarded her as a challenge; a sort of virgin perilous. |