释义 |
present I. pres·ent \ˈprezənt\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from presenter to present 1. : something presented or given : donation, gift < Christmas presents > < brought home presents for the children > 2. : presentation 1 < made her a present of a diamond necklace > II. pre·sent \prēˈzent, prə̇ˈ-\ verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English presenten, from Old French presenter, from Latin praesentare, from praesent-, praesens, present participle of praeesse transitive verb 1. a. : to bring or introduce into the presence of someone (as a superior) : to introduce for acquaintance < the ambassador was presented to the president > < the small boy presented himself before his father > < offered to present his friend to the attractive young lady > b. : to dedicate by bringing before or into the presence of God < presented Christ in the temple > c. : to introduce formally at court especially to the sovereign d. : to bring (a candidate) before university authorities for examination or for conferral of a degree e. : to bring (as an entertainer) before the public 2. : to make a present or donation to : furnish or provide (as a person) with something by way of a present or gift 3. a. : to lay or put before a person for acceptance : offer as a gift : give or bestow formally b. : to offer or convey by way of message, greeting, or compliment c. : to hand or pass over usually in a ceremonious way : deliver formally for acceptance 4. a. : to lay (as a charge) before a court as an object of inquiry : give notice officially of (as a crime or offense) : find or represent judicially < the grand jury presented many offenses > b. (1) : to bring a formal public charge against : charge formally : accuse (2) : to bring an indictment or presentment against 5. : to nominate (a clergyman) to a benefice 6. archaic : to represent (a character) on the stage : act the part of : perform, personate 7. obsolete : to make an open offer of (as battle) 8. : to aim, point, or direct so as to face something or in a particular direction 9. : manifest < patients who present symptoms of malaria > intransitive verb 1. : to make a presentation of a clergyman to the ordinary for institution to an ecclesiastical office 2. : to present a weapon (as a rifle) 3. obsolete : to blow favorably — used of the wind 4. a. : to become directed toward the opening of the uterus — used especially of parts of a fetus < premature babies which present by breech — Year Book of Obstetrics & Gynecology > b. : to become manifest < gonorrhea in heterosexual men typically presents as an anterior urethritis with a spontaneous purulent urethral exudate and dysuria — A.W.Karchmer > 5. : to come forward as a patient Synonyms: see offer III. present noun (-s) 1. : the position of a firearm ready to be fired or of a lance or similar weapon ready to be used in attack < bring the rifle down to the present > 2. : the position of present arms < soldiers standing at present > IV. pres·ent \ˈprezənt\ adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praesent-, praesens, present participle of praeesse to be before one, be at hand, from prae- pre- + esse to be — more at is 1. : now existing or in progress : begun but not ended : now being in view, being dealt with, or being under consideration : being at this time : not past or future : contemporary < to understand the present institutions we must … comprehend something of their history — J.B.Conant > < 12 pioneer papers have survived to the present day — American Guide Series: Minnesota > < in 1909 the … house again burned and the present hostelry of the same name was built — American Guide Series: New Hampshire > 2. a. : being in one place and not elsewhere : being within reach, sight, or call or within contemplated limits : being in view or at hand : being before, beside, with, or in the same place as someone or something < both men were present at the meeting > < present company excepted > — used interjectionally to indicate one's presence especially in answer to a roll call b. : existing in something (as a class or case) mentioned or under consideration < in the Hemiptera … wings may be present or absent — T.H.Huxley > 3. : constituting the one actually involved, at hand, or being considered < the present writer > < the present volume > 4. : of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense that is expressive of present time or the time of speaking 5. : existing at or belonging to the time under consideration : contemporaneous with a specified past time < there existed in preconquest England a church … united to the see of Rome by ancient tradition and present reverence — F.M.Stenton > 6. obsolete a. : having one's mind or thoughts directed toward a matter at hand : intent upon something : attentive b. : having self-possession : collected 7. archaic : immediately accessible or available (as in providing assistance) : ready at hand < this sum … was a large and present resource — James Mill > 8. archaic : immediately operative or effective : immediate, instant < the queen … demanded the present payment of some arrears — Thomas Fuller > < an ambassador … desires a present audience — Philip Massinger > V. present noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praesent-, praesens, from praesent-, praesens, present participle of praeesse 1. a. obsolete : present occasion or affair : business or action in hand b. presents plural : the present words or statements : the present legal instrument (as a deed of conveyance, lease, or power of attorney) or other writing : the document in which these words are used < know all men by these present > 2. a. : the present tense of a language b. : a verb form in the present tense 3. : the present time : the time being or contemplated < another of those periods, much like the present — Ruth Moore > < from 1700 to the present — Bulletin of Bates College > — compare future 1, past • - at present - at this present - for the present - in present |