释义 |
mist I. \ˈmist\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Middle Dutch mist, mest mist, fog, Icelandic mistur mist, haze, Greek omichlē mist, fog, Armenian mēg, Lithuanian migla, Sanskrit mih mist, megha cloud 1. : water in the form of particles suspended in the atmosphere at or near the surface of the earth : small water droplets floating or falling, approaching the form of rain, and sometimes distinguished from fog as being more transparent or as having particles perceptibly moving downward < heavy mists hung in the valley and obscured the mountains — Willa Cather > < still summerlike except for the mist on the lawn as dusk fell — Kathleen Freeman > 2. : something that hides or blurs objects or concepts : something that dims or obscures one's perceptions or understanding < its origins are lost in the mists of antiquity — G.G.Coulton > < a revelation of the world of nature that had lain so long under the mist of erroneous medieval geography — Saturday Review > < heard through the mist of sleep the voice … praying in her room — Louis Bromfield > 3. : a dimness of vision : a haze or film before the eyes < a mist seemed to come before her eyes — Gilbert Parker > 4. a. : a cloud of small particles or objects resembling or suggestive of a mist < the thick mist of smoke and unescaped vapors which filled the room — Liam O'Flaherty > < saw it all in a wondrous light, in the mist of leaves, in the flash of the river — Van Wyck Brooks > b. : a suspension of a finely divided liquid in a gas : fog 2c — compare fume 1b c. : a fine spray : fog 3b < spraying with insecticidal mists — Atlantic > 5. or mist gray : a reddish gray that is bluer and paler than evenglow and bluer, lighter, and stronger than opal gray II. verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English misten, from Old English mistian, from mist, n. intransitive verb 1. : to be or become misty : form a mist < it's misting from the marshes or fogging from the sea — T.H.Fielding > < it was still only misting when they took their seats — Pasadena (Calif.) Independent > 2. : to become dim or blurred < old eyes misted as he recalled the most important and tragic day of his life — Barnaby Conrad > transitive verb : to cover with or as if with mist : cloud, dim < damp mists her glasses — R.P.Warren > III. abbreviation Etymology: Latin mistura mixture IV. noun : a drink of alcoholic liquor (as Scotch) served over cracked ice and garnished with a twist of lemon peel |