| 释义 |
piebald, a. (n.)|ˈpaɪbɔːld|
Forms: 6 pibald, pibauld, 6–7 py(-)bald, 6– pie(-)bald, 7 pye(-)bald, pyedball, 7–8 pye-balled (-ball'd), 8– pye(-)ball.
[f. pie n.1 + bald a. 5: cf. ball n.3]
A. adj. Of two different colours, esp. white and black or other dark colour (like the plumage of a magpie), usually arranged in more or less irregular patches; pied: usually of animals, esp. horses. Loosely used of other colours (cf. skewbald) or of three or more colours; parti-coloured.
1594Barnfield Aff. Sheph. i. xxviii, I haue a pie-bald Curre to hunt the Hare. 1610Markham Masterp. i. x. 26 His colour is either a milke white, a yellow dun, a kiteglewd or a pyedball. 1622Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. 328 Signified by the Pybald horse whereon hee was mounted. 1626Faithful Friends i. i, Millions..lavished in excessive sports, And piebald pageantry. 1676Lond. Gaz. No. 1135/4 A white Gelding..having pye-bald marks on both flanks of bluish colour. 1789Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France II. 20 [At Naples]. Yesterday..shewed me what I knew not had existed—a skew-ball or pyeballed ass. 1802Med. Jrnl. VIII. 97 There are Negroes, (Albinoes) born white, some are party coloured or pie-bald. 1822–34Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) IV. 542 Individuals thus motley coloured are commonly called piebald negroes, or are said to have piebald skins. 1845Darwin Voy. Nat. xi. (1852) 233 Dusky woods, piebald with snow. 1871― Desc. Man II. xvi. 230 Piebald birds..for instance, the black-necked swan, certain terns, and the common magpie.
b. fig. Composed of parts or elements of dissimilar or incongruous kinds; of mixed characters or qualities (always in bad sense); motley, mongrel.
1589R. Harvey Pl. Perc. (1590) 13 Leaue thrumming thy Pibauld Iestes with Scripture. 1663Butler Hud. i. i. 96 A Babylonish Dialect, Which learned Pedants much affect. It was a Parti-colour'd Dress Of patch'd and Pye-ball'd Languages. 1763–5Churchill Candidate 716 Shall hurl his piebald Latin at thy head. 1815W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 58 note, To produce such a pyebald style of composition. 1878Bayne Purit. Rev. ii. 27 In the piebald character of the man.
B. n. A piebald animal, esp. a horse.
b. fig. A person or thing of mixed character, a ‘mongrel’.
1765Foote Commissary ii. Wks. 1799 II. 26 The right honourable Peer..calls me..Plebeian, and says if we have any children, they will turn out very little better than pye⁓balls. 1842Tennyson Walking to Mail 104 As quaint a four-in-hand As you shall see—three pyebalds and a roan. 1845Ford Handbk. Spain i. 53 Strabo..had an idea that Spanish piebalds..changed colour if taken out of Spain.
Hence ˈpiebalding, becoming piebald, development of patches of different colours; ˈpiebaldism, ˈpiebaldness, the quality of being piebald; ˈpiebaldly adv., in a piebald manner, with patches of different colours.
1886Romanes in Life & Lett. (1896) III. 175 The young ones show no signs of *piebalding.
1881Standard 8 Sept. 5/3 Domestication tends to produce irregular colour, or what is commonly called *piebaldism.
1613Campion Relat. Entertainm. Ld. Knowles, A strawn hat, *piebaldly drest with flowers.
1893Sat. Rev. 8 Apr. 375/2 Glaring *piebaldness. 1899E. Phillpotts Human Boy 120 The piebaldness of the rat was the great feature. |