| 释义 |
buoy
I. \ˈbüi, ˈbu̇i, ˈbȯi — ˈbȯi is usual in pronunc of “life buoy”\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English boye, from (assumed) Middle French boie (whence Middle French & French bouée buoy), of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German bouhhan sign — more at beacon
1. : float I 4; especially : an object floating in a body of water and moored to the bottom to mark a channel or to point out the position of something beneath the water (as an anchor, rock, or shoal)
2. : life buoy
 [buoy 1]
II. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: in sense vt 1, from buoy (I); in other senses, probably from Spanish boyar to float, from boya buoy, from (assumed) Middle French boie
transitive verb
1. : to provide with or mark by a buoy
< buoy an anchor >
< buoy a channel >
2.
a. : to keep afloat on a liquid : keep from sinking — usually used with up
< the raft was buoyed up by airtight oil drums >
also : to keep floating in the air — usually used with up
< for a moment the falling leaf was buoyed up by a rising air current >
b. : support, sustain — usually used with up
< with a patience buoyed only by the stimulus of a great idea — Waldemar Kaempffert >
< buoyed up during the trying period by high hopes of recovery >
< an economy buoyed by the dramatic postwar growth of industry — Time >
3.
a. archaic : raise, lift — usually used with up
b. : to raise the spirits of : make happier (as after a period of emotional depression) — usually used with up
< the waltz buoyed her up — Scott Fitzgerald >
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : to swell up : flood up — usually used with up
2. : to come to the surface of a liquid
< bound and thrown into the water … they buoyed up like a cork — American Guide Series: Connecticut > |