释义 |
ex·pense I. \ikˈspen(t)s, ek- sometimes ˈekˌs-\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French expense, from Late Latin expensa, from Latin, feminine of expensus, past participle of expendere 1. a. (1) archaic : the act or practice of expending money : spending < this exuberance of money displayed itself in wantonness of expense — Samuel Johnson > (2) obsolete : extravagance < all of them … dread a woman of expense — James Fordyce > b. (1) archaic : the act or process of using up : consumption < the sun is not wasted by expense of light — Benjamin Franklin > (2) obsolete : loss < and moan the expense of many a vanished sight — Shakespeare > 2. a. : something that is expended in order to secure a benefit or bring about a result < those who have no experience of teaching are incapable of imagining the expense of spirit entailed by any really living instruction — Bertrand Russell > b. : the financial burden involved typically in a course of action or manner of living : cost < at his own expense he built a fort and persuaded others to join him there — American Guide Series: Maine > < was obliged to spend most of each year earning his tuition and living expenses — R.F.Seybolt > c. (1) : the charges that are incurred by an employee in connection with the performance of his duties and that typically include transportation, meals, and lodging while traveling — usually used in plural (2) : money given to an employee as reimbursement for such charges — usually used in plural d. : an item of outlay incurred in the operation of a business enterprise allocable to and chargeable against revenue for a specific period 3. : a cause or occasion of expenditure < a country estate is a great expense > 4. : loss, injury, or detriment as the necessary price of something gained or as the inevitable result or penalty of an action : sacrifice — usually used in the phrase at the expense of < the spread of the city civilization at the expense of the villages — Benjamin Farrington > < develop a boy's physique at the expense of his intelligence — Bertrand Russell > II. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) 1. : to charge with expenses 2. : to charge to an expense account : write off as an expense expenditure |