| 释义 |
▪ I. blithe, a. (n. and adv.)|blaɪð|
Forms: 1–3 blíðe, (3 bliht, bligh), 4 bliþ(e, blyþe, (bliȝe, 5 blyde), 3–7 blith, 3–8 blyth, 4–9 blythe, 3– blithe.
[Com. Teut.: OE. blíðe = OS. blîdi (MDu. blîde, Du. blijde, blij, LG. blide, blyde), OHG. blîdi (MHG. blîde), ON. blíðr mild, gentle, kind, (Sw., Da. blid), Goth. bleiþs kind, merciful:—OTeut. *blîþi-z; possibly f. verbal stem *blî- to shine, but no cognates are known outside Teutonic. The earlier application was to the outward expression of kindly feeling, sympathy, affection to others, as in Gothic and ON.; but in OE. the word had come more usually to be applied to the external manifestation of one's own pleased or happy frame of mind, and hence even to the state itself.]
A. adj.
†1. Exhibiting kindly feeling to others; kind, friendly, clement, gentle. Obs.
a1000Elene 1317 (Gr.) Him biþ engla weard milde and bliðe. c1340Alex. & Dind. 624 God is spedeful in speche Boþ blessed & blyþe. c1400Destr. Troy 2342 Your biddyng to obey, as my blithe fader. 1570Levins Manip. 151/46 Blythe, blandus.
†b. fig. (Of the waves.) Obs.
c1000Ags. Psalter cvi[i]. 28 Þa yða swyᵹiað, bliðe weorþaþ.
2. Exhibiting gladness: jocund, merry, sprightly, gay, mirthful. In ballads frequently coupled with gay. Rare in mod.Eng. prose or speech.
a1000Cædmon's Poems, Christ 739 (Gr.) Hleahtre bliðe. a1300Cursor M. 7255 Quils þai war blithest at þat fest. Ibid. 11066 When John was borne also swyþe His frendes was ful gladd and bliþe. c1470Henry Wallace ii. 222 Yhe birds, blyth as bellis. 1616Bullokar, Blith, merry, frolicke, joyfull. 1632Milton Allegro 24 So buxom, blithe, and debonair. 1725Pope Odyss. xx. 199 Magnificent, and blithe, the suitors come. 1754Richardson Grandison (1766) V. 277 Emily; good girl! quite recovered, and blyth as a bird. 1796Campaigns 1793–4 II. viii. 53 Forth we instantly sallied, so blythe and so gay. 1807Crabbe Par. Reg. iii. 957 Thus brides again and bridegrooms blithe shall kneel.
b. transf. of things. (More common.)
a1300Cursor M. 828 Alle blurded þat was for-wit bliþe. c1340Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 155 With blyþe blaunner ful bryȝt. 1621Beaum. & Fl. Thierry & Theod. v. i, A bonny countenance and a blithe. 1808Scott Marm. i. x, A blithe salute The minstrels well might sound. 1855Prescott Philip II, I. i. iv. 50 Blithe sounds of festal music. 1857H. Reed Lect. Eng. Poets xiii. II. 136 The rightful gayety of those blithe early years.
3. Of men, their heart, spirit, etc.: Joyous, gladsome, cheerful; glad, happy, well pleased. Rare in Eng. prose or colloquial use since 16th c., but frequent in poetry; still in spoken use in Scotland.
971Blickl. Hom. 7 Bliþe mode heo sang. c1000ælfric Ex. xviii. 9 Þa wæs Iethro bliðe for eallum ðam þingum ðe Drihten dyde Israhela folce. c1205Lay. 1636 He was swiðe bliðe for his muchele biȝate. c1386Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1020 With good hope and herte blithe. c1440York Myst. xv. 86 Breder, bees all blythe and glad. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, ii. iii. 4 Bardolph, be blythe. 1663in Spalding Troub. Chas. I, (1829) 25 Blyth to win away with his life. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 625 To whom the wilie Adder, blithe and glad. 1715Rowe Lady J. Gray iv. (1746) 217, I trust that we shall meet on blither terms. 1816Scott Old Mort. 114 ‘I'm blythe to hear ye say sae,’ answered Cuddie. 1871Morley Voltaire (1886) 49 His spirit was blithe and its fire unquenchable. 1871R. Ellis Catullus ix. 11 Know ye happier any, any blither?
†4. Yielding milk. Obs. or ? dial.
1656Blount Glossogr., Blith (Brit.), that yeelds milk, milky. 1669Worlidge Syst. Agric. 322 Blith, yielding Milk.
5. Heedless, careless. Freq. used to intensify following n. describing a negative quality.
1922D. H. Lawrence England my England 23 From mother and nurse it was a guerilla gunfire of commands, and blithe, quicksilver disobedience from the three blonde, never-still little girls. 1977Time May 194/1 The era of cheap fuels led to a blithe disregard of second-law fundamentals. 1979A. McCowen Young Gemini 31 The thing that puzzled me most was their complacency, and their blithe intolerance of most of the outside world. 1984Washington Post 2 Sept. 6 Constant Defender sidesteps these charges—but with such blithe indifference..that it may well prove an antidote to the anxiety.
B. n.
†1. A blithe one: cf. fair. Obs.
a1548Song, Murning Maidin xvii, Into my armes swythe Embrasit I that blythe.
†2.
a. Compassion, mercy, good-will;
b. Gladness, mirth, pleasure, delight. Obs.
c1325E.E. Allit. P. A. 354, & sech hys blyþe ful swefte & swyþe. c1400Destr. Troy 2196 Ger hom bowe as a berslet & þi blithe seche. c1420Liber Cocorum 36 Coloure hit with safrone, so have þou blythe. c1450Bk. Curtasye 47 in Babees Bk. (1868) 300 Loke thy naylys ben clene, in blythe. 1585Will A. Robinson, Kendal (Somerset Ho.) To William Pott wyfe for hir greate blythe of drinke.
C. adv. [OE. blíðe.]
†a. Kindly, benignantly. Obs.
b. Blithely, cheerfully.
c1000Ags. Ps. liv. [lv.] 17 Þu me milde and bliðe..ahluttra. a1300Cursor M. 11635 Iesus loked on hir blith. c1435Torr. Portugal 338 The chyldyr namys I wolle telle blythe. 1486Bk. St. Albans E vij b, The man to his mayster spekyth full blyth. 1785Cowper Faithf. Bird 7 They sang, as blithe as finches sing.
D. Comb., as blithe-hearted, † blithelike, blithe-looking adjs.
1570Sempill Ballates (1872) 77 Ze plesand Paun & Papingaw Cast of zour blyithlyke cullour. 1848Lytton Harold xi. vii, Leofwine, still gay and blithe-hearted. 1848Dickens Dombey (C.D. ed.) 47 A blithe-looking boy.
▪ II. † blithe, v. Obs.
[f. the adj.: a later formation, instead of OE. blíðsian, blissian, bliss.]
1. intr. To rejoice, to be merry; = bliss v. 1.
a1300Cursor M. 17870 (Gött.) Adam..bigan þan forto blith [v.r. to glade] in hast. 1563Sackville Compl. Dk. Buckhm. 108 Take hede by me that blithd in balefull blisse.
2. trans. To make blithe, gladden, delight; = bliss v. 2 and blithen.
c1400Destr. Troy 2554 Hit blithet all the buernes þat aboute stode. c1440Promp. Parv. 40 Blythyn or welle cheryn, exhillero. 1627Feltham Resolves i. lxxxi. Wks. (1677) 124 Hope flatters Life..She blythes the Farmer. |