| 释义 |
quean|kwiːn|
Forms: 1, 3 cwene, (1 cwyne), 3–6 quene, (5 qw-), 4–5 quen, queyne, 5 qw-, queyn, 4–6 queine, 7 queene, 7–8 queen, (8 north. whein); 6–7 queane, (8 quane, 8–9 north. whean), 6– quean; 8–9 Sc. quine.
[OE. cwene wk. fem. = OS. quena (MDu. quene, Du. kween a barren cow), OHG. quina, quena, ch(w)ena, ON. kvenna, kvinna (gen. pl.), Goth. qino woman:—OTeut. *kwenōn-, a lengthened form of the stem which appears in Zend genā, Gr. γυνή, OSl. and Russ. žená, OIr. ben, repr. a common Aryan type *gwenā: cf. queen.
In ME. the word was distinguished from queen by its open e, which in the 14–15th c. was sometimes denoted by the spelling with ei or ey, and later (as in other words of the class) by ea.]
1. A woman, a female; from early ME. a term of disparagement or abuse, hence: A bold, impudent, or ill-behaved woman; a jade, hussy; and spec. a harlot, strumpet (esp. in 16–17th c.). Now arch.
a1000Riddles lxxiii. (lxxiv.) 1 Ic wæs fæmne ᵹeong, feaxhar cwene. a1023Wulfstan Hom. xxiii. (1883) 161 note, Þæt..ane cwenan ᵹemænum ceape bicᵹað..and wið þa ane fylðe adreoᵹað. c1205Lay. 12872 Whær swa heo funden æine mon..þa quenen [c 1275 cwenes] lude loȝen. c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 194/6 An old quene þare was biside, strong hore and baudestrote. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. ix. 46 At churche in the charnel cheorles aren vuel to knowe..other a queyne fro a queene. 1481Caxton Reynard (Arb.) 95 The fowle olde quenes wold fayne haue beten vs. 1532More Confut. Tindale Wks. 618/1 Tyll he..catch him a queane & cal her his wife. 1589Nashe Almond for Parrat 17 b, All spent in a Tauerne amongst a consort of queanes and fidlers. 1627Hakewill Apol. (1630) 361 The common queanes, which got their maintenance by that trade. 1670G. H. Hist. Cardinals i. iii. 98 A certain paultry Queen in mans apparel, that would pass for a Lady. 1777Sheridan Sch. Scand. iii. ii, Here's to the flaunting extravagant quean And here's to the housewife that's thrifty. 1823Byron Juan vi. xcvi, This martial scold, This modern Amazon and queen of queans. 1880Webb Goethe's Faust iii. ii. 190 The dame's a most commodious quean, A gypsy born and go-between! 1924E. Sitwell Sleeping Beauty xiv. 47 My eyes are dim,—I yet can see You, lazy quean! Go work! 1969Listener 10 Apr. 503/3 Nora (an old quean who thinks she's an old queen).
transf.a1845Hood Flowers i, The tulip is a courtly quean, whom, therefore, I will shun.
2. Sc. A young woman, girl, lass; usually denoting one of a healthy and robust appearance.
c1470Henry Wallace iv. 782 A stalwart queyne, forsuth, yon semys to be. 1728W. Starrat Ep. to Ramsay 13 Blaw up my heart-strings, ye Pierian quines. 1787Burns Guidwife Wauchope iii, I see her yet, the sonsie quean, That lighted up my jingle. 1818Scott Rob Roy xxvii, It shews a kind heart..in sae young a quean; Mattie's a carefu' lass. 1871W. Alexander Johnny Gibb (1873) 215, I notices brawly that the quine hed been greetin.
3. slang. A male homosexual of effeminate appearance. Cf. queen n. 12.
1935D. Lamson We who are about to Die xv. 294 We did hear startling tales..of ‘family’ life, of marriage ceremonies, of fights with knives for the favor of some ‘quean’, as the perverts are called in prison. 1937Partridge Dict. Slang 676/1 Quean; incorrectly queen, a homosexual, esp. one with girlish manners and carriage; low: late C. 19–20; ob. except in Australia. 1968J. R. Ackerley My Father & Myself xii. 127, I did not want him to think me ‘queer’ and himself a part of homosexuality, a term I disliked since it included prostitutes, pansies, pouffs and queans.
Hence † ˈqueaning, associating with immodest women; † ˈqueanish a., of the nature of, characteristic of, a quean; † ˈqueanry = queaning.
c1560A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xxxiv. 124 Quhair hurdome ay vnhappis, With quenry, canis, and coppis. 1569J. Sandford tr. Agrippa's Van. Artes 119 b, In feastinge, queaninge, huntinge, fowlinge and attiringe. 1596P. Colse Penelope (1880) 167 Thy giggish tricke, thy queanish trade, A thousand Bridewel birds hath made. 1618Rowlands Night Raven (1620) 25 If she would seeke to mend her queanish life. a1693Motteux Rabelais iii. xxxiv. 284 Queanish flurting Harlots. |