| 释义 |
flaw
I. \ˈflȯ\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English flaw, flawe, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish flaga flaw, flake, Old Norse flaga slab; akin to Old English flēan to skin — more at flay
1. obsolete : flake, fragment, bit
< this heart shall break into a hundred thousand flaws — Shakespeare >
2. : a faulty part : crack, breach, gap, fissure
< a flaw in a gem or a vase >
< a flaw in a bar of steel >
3. : a fault or defect especially in a character or a piece of work
< the greatest flaw in his plan was failure to anticipate costs >
< a complexion without a flaw >
especially : a fault in a legal paper that may nullify it
< a flaw in a will >
< found a flaw in the statute >
4. Scotland : lie, fib
5. chiefly Scotland : a thin layer of turf or peat
6. : a nearly vertical geological fault transverse to the strike of the rocks and characterized by horizontal displacement
Synonyms: see blemish
II. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
transitive verb
1. : to make flaws in : crack
< a flawed diamond >
< the brazen caldrons with the frosts are flawed — John Dryden >
2. : to make a breach or defect in : violate, nullify
< flaw an agreement >
< France hath flawed the league — Shakespeare >
intransitive verb
: to become defective : crack, break
< pavements warping and flawing in the heat >
< columns of smoke that … flawed suddenly in the canyon wind — W.V.T.Clark >
III. noun
(-s)
Etymology: of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian flaga gust, squall; akin to Middle High German & Middle Low German vlage gust, attack, Lithuanian plakti to beat, Latin plangere to beat — more at plaint
1. : a sudden burst of wind of short duration with or without rain or snow
< the wind changed with flaws from westward — Archibald MacLeish >
also : a spell of stormy weather
2. obsolete : an outburst especially of passion or anger : a sudden tumult or disorder |