释义 |
sag I. \ˈsag, ˈsaa(ə)g, ˈsaig\ verb (sagged ; sagged ; sagging ; sags) Etymology: Middle English saggen, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish sacka to sag, settle down, Norwegian dialect sakka to sink, probably derivatives from the stem of Old Norse sökkva to sink — more at sink intransitive verb 1. a. : to sink or settle gradually from an established or normal position < frame store buildings … left to sag and gather cobwebs since lumbering operations stopped — American Guide Series: California > b. : to decline in intensity or vigor < spirits had sagged almost to the breaking point — W.H.Waggoner > c. : to decline from a thriving position < oil shares sagged owing to lack of fresh support — Financial Times (London) > < cloth output and prices sag despite the … comeback in apparel — Wall Street Journal > 2. a. : to hang loosely : lose tautness (as from age or fatigue) < when his face sagged like this, worriment claimed it — O.B.Chidsey > b. : to lie or hang unevenly : droop to one side < the chair … sagged on one rocker — Ellen Glasgow > c. : to bend downward in the middle under its own or applied pressure < a black reticule that sagged under the weight of shapeless objects — Allen Tate > < the clothesline sagged between its poles > d. : to fall from the lack or removal of muscular control < he sagged flabbily to his knees — George Orwell > e. : to flow after application to a vertical or sloping surface and produce irregular films — used of a paint or varnish 3. : to move ahead at a feeble plodding pace < the depression sagged along — Don Baines > 4. : drift — used chiefly in the phrase sag to leeward 5. : to fail to stimulate or retain interest < his latest picture had sagged at the box office — E.L.Acken > < though it sags in the middle, the novel is readable throughout — Walter Havighurst > transitive verb : to cause to sag: as a. : to cause (as a ship or timber) to curve downward in the middle usually as a result of improper loading or supporting b. : to leave slack in (an electrical transmission line) to compensate for changes in temperature Synonyms: see droop II. noun (-s) 1. : a tendency to drift (as of a ship to leeward) : drift 2. : a drop or depression below the surrounding area: a. : a pass or gap in a ridge or mountain range : saddle b. : a depression in an otherwise flat or gently sloping land surface c. : a minor downwarped structure often with faults on one or more sides d. : a sunken area in a roadbed or pipeline 3. a. : a distortion of an airship in which the center bends down and both ends rise b. : a bending of an object (as a chain) under its own weight or applied pressure c. : a curve in the line of chained logs in a log boom caused by wind or current 4. : a temporary economic decline (as in the price of a particular commodity) III. \ˈsag\ dialect Britain variant of sedge IV. chiefly dialect variant of saw |