| 释义 |
low
I. \ˈlō\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hlāw, hlǣw — more at law
archaic : hill, mound; specifically : a burial mound
II. \“sometimes ˈlü\ verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English loowen, from Old English hlōwan; akin to Old Low Franconian luon, luogin to moo, Old High German hluoen to moo, Latin calare to call, summon, Greek kalein to call, Lithuanian kalbà language
intransitive verb
1. of cattle : to make the usually deep sustained sound characteristic of cows and other bovine animals : moo
2. : to make a sound suggestive of the lowing of cattle
< that's what I would say, and they would low with pleasure — E.L.Burdick >
transitive verb
: to utter with a lowing sound
III. noun
(-s)
: the usually deep sustained sound characteristic of cows and other bovine animals
< the low of herds — William Wordsworth >
IV. \ˈlō\ adjective
(-er/-est)
Etymology: Middle English low, lowe, from lah, from Old Norse lāgr; akin to Old Frisian lēch low, Middle Dutch lage, Middle High German læge low, flat, Russian lezt' to climb, and perhaps to Old Norse liggja to lie — more at lie
1.
a.
(1) : having a relatively small upward extension : extending upward or outward relatively little
< a man of low stature >
< a low building >
< a low wall >
< low relief >
(2) : situated, placed, or passing relatively little above the line, point, or plane with relation to which reckoning is made
< a low bridge >
< a bird of low flight >
(3) now chiefly dialect : not tall : short
< a low, fat man — Vance Randolph & G.P.Wilson >
< about forty, low, corpulent — Anne Royall >
(4) : having a low neck : décolleté
< a low dress >
also : low-cut
< a low shoe >
(5) : articulated with a wide opening between the comparatively flat tongue and the palate : open
< the sounds \ä\ \ȧ\ \a\ are low >
b.
(1) : situated relatively below the normal level, surface, or base of measurement, or the mean elevation
< low ground >
< the low levels in a mine >
(2) : of or relating to the lowlands especially near the seashore — now used chiefly in fixed phrases
< the Low Countries >
(3) : having less than or being below or farthest below the usual or normal height
< the water is low in the reservoir >
— compare low tide, low water
(4) : being near the horizon
< the afternoon sun is low at four o'clock in winter >
c.
(1) : dead, lifeless — now usually used in the phrase lay low
< keen swords and sharp arrows laid the enemy low >
(2) : prostrate — usually used in the phrase lay low
< laid low for weeks by a severe illness >
< laid him low with one mighty stroke of his staff >
(3) : abased, humbled — usually used in the phrase bring low
< added that he kept a list of all his opponents and … would bring them low — Evelyn G. Cruickshanks >
(4) : not prosperous : poor, embarrassed, backward
< sought to account for the low state of the higher studies in this country >
< was low financially — Arthur Godfrey >
d. : passing far downward
< a low swoop >
< a low obeisance >
2.
a.
(1) : of or relating to the lower classes : socially or economically humble or inferior
< a person of low birth >
< women of low degree — H.M.Parshley >
< loved by all his parishioners, high and low >
also : associated with lower class status : ignoble, plebeian
< these tasks become … too low to be performed by the native — B.K.Sandwell >
(2) : ranking as poor or inferior by some standard : inferior
< a man of low intelligence >
< results in the domination of news by low intellectual and moral standards — F.L.Mott >
< groups of the population with low personal hygiene — E.C.Faust >
(3) : lacking dignity or elevation : ordinary, commonplace, prosaic
< distinguished between the high and the low style … the latter assigned to the realism of every day life — William Barrett >
< have used abbreviations freely in this letter. Do you think them low — O.W.Holmes †1935 >
(4) : characterized by burlesque, horseplay, and broad or farcical humor : bordering on farce
< low comedy >
(5) : culturally inferior by some standard : little advanced in civilization
< savages of a low Negrito type — Encyc. Americana >
(6) : having a relatively simple organization : not highly developed in the scale of biological evolution
< low organisms >
< no remains of … low forms of man have been found here — S.E.Morison & H.S.Commager >
(7) usually capitalized : Low Church
< who was very Low, would forget for a moment her annoyance at the ecclesiastical lace — Osbert Lancaster >
b.
(1) : morally reprehensible : base, mean
< that was a low trick >
< marked by a certain low cunning >
also : striking below the belt : foul
< a low blow >
(2) : degraded, abandoned, dissolute, disreputable
< a low public house — Newsweek >
< intrigues with low women — Benjamin Franklin >
(3) : lacking in or reflecting lack of refinement or breeding : coarse, vulgar
< low in her tastes and aspirations, low in her likes and dislikes — Joseph Furphy >
< sporting events of a low type — G.M.Trevelyan >
< scenes of would-be comedy from illiterate low characters — Leslie Rees >
< that's a low word >
(4) : not conforming to some standard of correctness or propriety
< the low language is the everyday language — Miguel Covarrubias >
c.
(1) : lacking strength, health, or vitality : feeble, weak
< he was very low — Granville Toogood >
< a low pulse >
(2) : not rich or highly seasoned : not nourishing : plain, simple
< a low diet >
(3) : lacking spirit or vivacity : depressed, dejected
< felt too low even to remonstrate — Louis Auchincloss >
: marked by dejection or depression
< in a low state of mind — J.C.Lincoln >
< better than he thought in low moments — Times Literary Supplement >
d. : unfavorable, disparaging
< had a low opinion of his talents >
3. : deficient, inferior, or unusually small in quantity, intensity, value, or degree: as
a. : less than normal : not intense : moderate
< low barometric pressure >
< low speed >
< low visibility >
< a low fever >
< a low conductor of heat >
< valleys … low in lime — Walter Bally >
b.
(1) : not loud : soft
< spoke in a very low voice — Katharine N. Burt >
(2) : depressed in musical pitch : flat
(3) : relating to those musical notes or tones in the contraoctave especially in singing
< low G >
c.
(1) : numerically small : not high in amount
< the illiteracy rate is very low >
< a low number >
< deal me a low card >
(2) : being beneath a rate, amount, or value considered normal, standard, or adequate by some criteria
< persons of low income group >
< low wages >
< low prices >
specifically : cheap
< that's a very low price for that suit >
(3) : relatively small or too small : moderate
< gave me a very low estimate >
(4) : nearly exhausted : depleted, short
< left me when the coal was low — New Republic >
< the stores being so low — R.L.Stevenson >
< very low in pocket >
d. : being near or not very distant from the equator
< the low northern latitudes >
e. : being relatively near the beginning of a series of chemical compounds arranged in order of increasing molecular weight or of increasing valence of the chief constituent
< lower fatty acids >
— compare high 1b 7
f. : designed for slow or usually the slowest speed; specifically : giving the lowest ratio of propeller-shaft to engine-shaft speed and the highest amplification of torque
< low gear >
g. : not lively : slow
< published … at very low tempo because of lack of funds — Mortimer Graves >
< a steady, dignified low dance — Anatole Chujoy >
4. : very low : making a nadir : lowest
< surely the low point of the entire period — Philles Nash >
< organized religion has reached a low point in its history — Humanist >
Synonyms: see base
V. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, from lah, from lah, adjective — more at low IV
: something that is low: as
a. : a piece of low-lying level ground — usually used in plural
< many lows growing dense reedbeds — Douglas Carruthers >
b. : low speed
c.
(1) : the lowest card of the trump suit or the lowest trump card in play counting one point in all forms and related games
(2) : the lowest number, card, or score in a game; also : the player having low
d. : a domain of low barometric pressure — compare cyclone 1a
e. : lowest prices of a movement
< buy stocks at the low >
f. : a nadir of decline or degradation
< whose report card marks a new low — Ralph Linton >
< prestige, power, and reputation plummet to new lows — Neal Stanford >
< membership is at an all-time low — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin >
VI. adverb
(-er/-est)
Etymology: Middle English lowe, from lahe, lage, from lah, adjective — more at low IV
1. : in or to a low position : not on high : near the ground
< the village is nestled low in the foothills of the great range >
2. : to or toward a low position : in a low direction or course
< aim your blows low >
3.
a. : in subjection, poverty, or disgrace
< brought low by misfortune >
b.
(1) : in a low or poor condition : humbly, meagerly
< on that income you must live very low >
(2) : at a low rate
< don't value yourself too low >
4. : at a relatively low price : cheaply
< sell wheat low >
5.
a. : with a low voice or sound : not loudly : softly
< speak low >
b. : with a low musical pitch or tone
6. archaic : late
VII. noun
or lowe \“\
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse log, logi flame; akin to Old Frisian loga flame, Middle High German lohe flame, Gothic liuhath light — more at light
chiefly Scotland : flame, blaze, glow
VIII. verb
or lowe \“\
Etymology: Middle English lowen, from Old Norse loga, from logi, n.
Scotland : flame, blaze, glow
IX. \ˈlau̇\ verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: by shortening
dialect : allow |