释义 |
keep·er I. \-pə(r)\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English keper, from kepen to keep + -er — more at keep 1. : one that keeps something (as by watching over, guarding, maintaining, supporting, restraining): as a. : guardian, protector < am I my brother's keeper — Gen 4:9 (Revised Standard Version) > b. : one that conforms to or abides by (as a custom, rite, or law) < a keeper of the Lord's commandments > : one that fulfills (as a promise or pledge) c. : one that has charge of (as a prison, prisoners, inmates of an institution, the grounds or buildings of an estate, animals in a zoo); specifically : gamekeeper d. : one that owns, maintains, or carries on (as a boarding house, castle, store) e. : guard f. obsolete : one that keeps a mistress g. : one whose vocation or avocation is the care of (as bees) h. : wicketkeeper i. : curator < a keeper of manuscripts in a library > j. : one whose job is to keep something in good or satisfactory condition < a boat keeper > < a greenhouse keeper > k. : an armature that preserves the intensity of magnetization of a permanent magnet 2. : a device that keeps something in position: as a. : latch b. : the strike of a lock c. : guard ring d. : locknut e. : a loop of string tied in the eye of a bowstring to keep it in place when the bow is unbraced f. : the keep in a locomotive axle box g. : a leather loop on a rifle sling for holding the sling tight on the arm when firing with the sling 3. : a fruit or vegetable that keeps well 4. : a fish large enough to be legally caught II. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Britain : to maintain (a game preserve) under the care of a keeper < marsh … strictly keepered and alive with fowl — Country Life > III. noun 1. : a domestic animal considered with respect to how easy it is to care for < horses that are easy keepers > < a hard keeper > 2. chiefly Britain : goalkeeper 3. : an offensive football play in which the quarterback runs with the ball 4. : one that is worth keeping : one having genuine or lasting merit < all the songs are keepers, perfectly relaxed and wry — Alanna Nash > |