| 释义 |
▪ I. pestilent, a. (n., adv.)|ˈpɛstɪlənt|
[ad. L. pestilens, -ent-em, a deriv. of participial form from pestis plague, or pestilis of the nature of a plague; also pestilentus: cf. gracilentus, macilentus.]
1. Destructive to life; fatal; deadly; poisonous.
1432–50tr. Higden (Rolls) III. 293 Socrates..was compellede to eite an herbe pestilente in the name of goddes, and he was dedde anoone. 1564Golding Justine xix. (1570) 99 Hamilco..sodainly by the influence of a pestilent planet, lost all his men of warre. 1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iii. xiii. 194 The next time I do fight Ile make death loue me: for I will contend Euen with his pestilent Sythe. 1784Cowper Task iii. 494 A pestilent and most corrosive steam. 1880Our Nat. Responsibility for Opium Trade 14 The English merchant empoisons China with pestilent opium.
2. Producing or tending to produce infectious disease; infectious as a disease or epidemic; pestilential. Now rare.
1613R. Cawdrey Table Alph., Pestilent, contagious, hurtfull. 1615Markham Eng. Housew. ii. i. (1668) 7 The Pestilent Feaver..a continual Sickness full of infection and mortality. 1667Milton P.L. x. 695 Vapour, and Mist, and Exhalation hot, Corrupt and Pestilent. 1685Temple Ess. Gard. Wks. 1731 I. 188 The Lice of the Vine. This is of all others the most pestilent Disease of the best Fruit-trees.
3. fig. Injurious or dangerous to religion, morals, or public peace; noxious; pernicious.
1513More Rich. III, Wks. 39/1 Suche a pestilente serpente is ambicion and desyre of vaineglorye and soueraintye. 1526Tindale Acts xxiv. 5 We have founde this man a pestilent felowe. 1655Nicholas Papers (Camden) II. 208 There is one Mowbray if possible more pestilent of his tongue then euer. 1758Jortin Erasm. I. 129 The works of Erasmus are reckoned amongst those pestilent books. 1823Scott Peveril vii, ‘The man, bating he is a pestilent Roundhead and Puritan, is no bad neighbour’. 1855Prescott Philip II, I. iv. i. 398 One [Corsair] distinguished..for the pestilent activity with which he pursued the Spaniards.
4. That pesters or annoys; troublesome; plaguy. Often used humorously.
1592Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iv. v. 147 What a pestilent knaue is this same. 16022nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass. iv. v, O that Ben Jonson is a pestilent fellow, he brought vp Horace giuing the Poets a pill. 1625K. Long tr. Barclay's Argenis iii. ii. 187 That old Woman, that Hagge, of a most pestilent Wit. 1798Wolcott (P. Pindar) Tales of Hoy Wks. 1812 IV. 409 All the servants agree that he is a pestilent man for a rhyme. 1806–7J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) i. Introd., I have some pestilent affairs upon my hands. 1873T. W. Higginson Oldport Days i. 18 Now and then a man comes here..with a pestilent desire to do something.
†B. n. A pestilent thing or person; a pestilence; an injurious person. Obs.
1567Triall Treas. (1850) 29 We have sene..this cancard pestilent Corrupting our realme to our great decaie, Ambition, I meane. 1583Babington Commandm. vi. (1637) 53 The translation..of the Hebrew word Lezim, mockers, into pestilents, pestilent fellows and hurtfull, for so they are indeed, even the plagues of a Common-weale.
†C. adv. Confoundedly; ‘plaguy’: = pestilently 2.
1567Triall Treas. in Hazl. Dodsley III. 273 By the mass, but Hugh Howlit is pestilent witty. 1604Shakes. Oth. ii. i. 251 A pestilent compleat knaue, and the woman hath found him already. 1641Suckling Ballad on Wedding Wks. (1709) 30 Amongst the rest, one Pest'lent fine. a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Pestilent-fine, Tearing-fine.
▪ II. † ˈpestilent, v. Obs. rare—1.
[f. prec. adj.]
trans. To infect fatally; to poison, corrupt.
1613T. Milles tr. Mexia's Treas. Anc. & Mod. T. I. 27/2 So hurtfull are the Serpents teeth, they pestilent the blood. |