| 释义 |
▪ I. divest, v.|dɪˈvɛst, daɪ-|
[A refashioning, after L. analogies, of earlier devest from French. OF. desvestir, through its later form devestir, gave devest immediately, while its mediæval latinization disvestīre, rectified to dīvestīre (after ancient L. dīvellĕre, dīvertĕre, etc.) has given divest, and this, through the general preference for the Latin over the French forms of the prefixes has supplanted devest, except in legal use, where both are found.]
1. trans. To unclothe, undress, disrobe; to strip of clothing, or of any covering, ornament, etc.
[1583–1809: see devest 1, 2.] 1795–1814Wordsw. Excursion vi. 161 A leafy grove Discoloured, then divested. 1847Dickens Haunted M. ii, Divesting herself of her out-of-door attire. 1859Lang Wand. India 327 Having divested himself of the dust with which he was covered. 1870E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. I. 32 Some of the Gothic windows had been divested of their tracery.
2. fig. To strip (a person or thing) of possessions, rights, or attributes; to denude, dispossess, deprive; less usually in good sense, to free, rid.
[1563–1686: see devest 3.] 1648Hunting of Fox 36 A prevailing Faction..hath divested him of all his Rights. 1769E. Bancroft Nat. Hist. Guiana 136 [Monkeys] are frequently tamed..but they can never be divested of a mischievous disposition. 1818Jas. Mill Brit. India II. iv. v. 204 Divesting him of the government. 1882Farrar Early Chr. II. 105 He divests them of their antithetical character.
b. refl. to divest oneself of: to strip or dispossess oneself of; to put off, throw off, lay aside, abandon, rid oneself of.
1605Shakes. Lear i. i. 50 Now we will diuest vs both of Rule, Interest of Territory, Cares of State. 1767Blackstone Comm. II. v. 70 He agreed to divest himself of this undoubted flower of his crown. 1823Keble Serm. iii. (1848) 66 Divesting ourselves, for a moment, of all impressions received from other kinds of evidence. 1856Dove Logic Chr. Faith v. i. §2. 300 We have a moral nature from which we cannot divest ourselves.
3. To put off (clothes, or anything worn or represented as worn); to lay aside, abandon. Now rare.
[1566–1765: see devest 4.] 1639G. Daniel Vervic. 708, I endeavour To put of Man, and ffrailtie to divest. 1673Lady's Call. ii. §4 ⁋10. Knowing how hardly we can divest our voluptuousness and ambition. 1835Browning Paracelsus i. 23, I will divest all fear.
4. Law. To take away (property, etc., vested in any one); to alienate, convey away; = devest 5.
[1574–1848: see devest 5.] 1789Durnford & East's Law Rep. III. 467 The assignees putting his mark on them could not divest the consignor's right. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) xxxv. xiii. §5 No estate or interest can be barred by a fine, unless it is divested out of the real owner, either before the fine is levied, or by the operation of the fine itself. 1845Stephen Comm. Laws Eng. (1874) II. 145 The property of a bankrupt is..made liable to be divested from him and distributed.
5. Econ. To sell off (a subsidiary company); to dispose of, cease to hold (an investment). Also absol. orig. U.S.
1961Atlantic Reporter (1962) CLXXV. 2nd Ser. 37/1 He might have, if not repulsed, divested American Screw from Noma. 1973N.Y. Law Jrnl. 30 July 3/5 A 1966 decree requiring Von's Grocery Stores to divest a certain number of required stores..resulted in divestment of its forty least profitable outlets. 1978Washington Post 28 Feb. d8 More than 400 students and faculty..have asked the school's board of trustees to divest $20 million in stock in 22 American corporations. 1982Daily Tel. 16 Jan. 23/2 Colgate has been..divesting some of the activities not in its main business. 1984Times 3 May 25/2 Mr Saul Steinberg's US-based Reliance group of companies has also decided to divest. 1986Christian Science Monitor 5 Mar. 3 She advises American people to divest their investments in South Africa.
¶ catachr. To vest, invest.
1638Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 343 When Apollo divests himselfe in his most ardent splendour. a1662Heylin Hist. Presbyt. (1670) 333 That authority which was divested by God in His Majesty's person.
Hence diˈvesting vbl. n., diˈvested ppl. a. (The latter is found loosely used for: Devoid of.)
1712Prideaux Direct. Ch.-wardens (ed. 4) 80 This would be a Divesting of themselves. 1742Mem. Lady H. Butler II. 184, I..was entirely divested of the vanity of wishing to shine in borrowed ornaments. 1815W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 308 note, By no means divested of a literary talent at retort.
▪ II. † diˈvest, pa. pple.
Short for divested. rare.
a1679Ld. Orrery Herod Gt. iv, As those who bore them..Seem'd, by their Looks, of more than Life divest. |