| 释义 |
smooth
I. \ˈsmüth\ adjective
(-er/-est)
Etymology: Middle English smothe, from Old English smōth; akin to Old English smēthe smooth, Old Saxon smōthi
1.
a. : having a continuously even surface : being without roughness, points, bumps, or ridges especially to the touch
< smooth tabletop >
< smooth fabric >
< smooth skin >
< smooth lawn >
< smooth road >
b. : being without bristles or hair
< my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man — Gen 27:11 (Authorized Version) >
c. : not rough or scabrous : not pubescent : glabrous
< a smooth leaf >
d.
(1) : causing no resistance to a body sliding along its surface : frictionless
(2) of a reflecting surface : having surface irregularities small compared with the wave length of the reflected radiation
e. : less rough or harsh than is characteristic of the class
< smooth file >
sometimes : having its points or ridges leveled by wear
< smooth tire >
2. : free from all that would obstruct or impede progress : easily or comfortably traveled : presenting no obstacles or difficulties
< broad smooth highways >
< trying to make his path smoother for him >
3.
a. : even and uninterrupted in flow or flight : continuously flowing or gliding : moving or proceeding without breaks, abrupt changes or transitions : not jerky, jolting, or jarring
< smooth stream >
< smooth flow of words >
< car came to a smooth stop >
b. : capable of easy dexterity and effortlessly controlled movement
< smooth dancer >
c. : avoiding or minimizing what is harsh or unpleasant or objectionable : plausibly flattering : ingratiating
< deceived by the smooth talk of the salesman >
< smooth villain >
< smooth handling of an embarrassing situation >
< smooth explanations of suspicious conduct >
4.
a. : calm and unruffled in words, manner or behavior : serene, equable
< smooth disposition >
b. : amiable, courteous, friendly
5. : accompanied by calm weather : free from discomfort or difficulty
< smooth channel crossing >
< smooth sailing from here on >
6.
a. : performed so that each tone within the musical phrase glides or flows into the next : legato
b. : moving by small intervals — used of the progression of voice parts in harmonized music
7. Greek grammar
a. of a vowel : sounded without the aspirate
< smooth vowel >
b. of a stop consonant : being voiceless, unaspirated, and lenis
8.
a. : agreeable or soothing to one's ear, palate, feelings : bland, mild
< smooth tone of voice >
< smooth syrup >
< smooth wine >
b. : free from lumps : having perfect blending of the elements
< smooth batter >
< smooth salad dressing >
c. : having the pungency (as of alcohol) moderated by blending of other ingredients
< a smooth cocktail >
9. : relatively good — used especially of a poker hand in lowball; compare rough
10. : forming smooth colonies usually made up of organisms that form no chains or filaments, show characteristic internal changes, and tend to marked increase in capsule formation and virulence — used of dissociated strains of bacteria; compare mucoid
Synonyms: see easy, level, suave
II. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English smothen, from smothe, adjective, smooth
transitive verb
1. : to make smooth, level, or even on the surface : remove the surface inequalities and irregularities of
< smooth soil in a flower bed >
< smooth the edge of a board >
< smooth cloth with an iron >
< smooth a rumpled bedsheet >
2.
a. : to free from what is harsh, crude, offending, or disagreeable : refine, polish
< smooth verses >
< sent to a school to smooth and polish his manners >
b. : to make calm : soothe
3. : to minimize (as a fault, a difference) in order to allay anger or ill-will : palliate — often used with over
< smoothing things over is practically a profession to mothers of families — Margaret Deland >
4. : to free from obstruction or difficulty : make easy
< smoothed his way with bribes >
5.
a. : to remove (as wrinkles, creases) from a surface
< smoothed the lines of worry away with her cool fingertips >
b. : to press or rub into a flat form
< nervously crumpling and smoothing out her handkerchief >
c. : to remove expression from (one's face) : compose
6. : cause to lie evenly and in order : preen
< took off her hat and smoothed down her hair >
< hen smoothing her ruffled feathers >
7. : to change a broken line made up of sections of straight lines into (a curve); specifically : to free (a graph) from irregularities by ignoring random deviations
8. : monophthongize — used especially of the change of a vowel before a back consonant in the Anglian dialects of Old English
< Anglian smoothing of ēa to ē >
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : blandish, flatter
2. : to become smooth
< the wind dropped and the waves smoothed down >
III. adverb
Etymology: Middle English smothe, from smothe, adjective, smooth
: smoothly
< smooth runs the water where the brook is deep — Shakespeare >
IV. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English smothe, from smothe, adjective, smooth
1.
a. : a smooth stretch (as of land); specifically : meadow
b. : an intermittent space of smooth water
2. : the smooth part of anything : something that is smooth
< learn to take the rough with the smooth >
3. [smooth (II) ] : act of smoothing or state of being smooth : a stroke which smooths
< give a smooth to his hair >
4. [smooth (II) ] : a smoothing implement
5. : the side of a tennis racket on which the binding strings form a continuous line
< calling rough or smooth to decide court and service >
V. adjective
of a curve : being the representation of a function with a continuous first derivative |