| 释义 |
▪ I. sweetening, vbl. n.|ˈswiːt(ə)nɪŋ|
[f. as prec. + -ing1.]
1. The action of the verb sweeten.
a. The imparting of a sweet taste or smell; † perfuming; the freeing from taint, staleness, or impurity.
1591Wotton Lett. (1907) I. 270 There is a certain English northern man in this town..lives now by sweetening of gloves. 1599B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. iii. i, Which sute (for the more sweetning) now lies in lavender. 1617J. Taylor (Water P.) Trav. to Hamburgh B j, As if her selfe..had layen seauen yeares in Lauender on sweetning in long Lane. a1774Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 380 Some to be hung in the winds for sweetening, some plunged into rapid waters to wash away their filth. 1876B. Martin Messiah's Kingd. i. iii. 31 The sweetening of the waters at Marah.
fig.1740Cheyne Regimen 339 To..pass over every Impulse, Sweetning, or Glance of Light. 1883H. Drummond Nat. Law in Spir. W. (1884) 192 The acrid humours that are breaking out all over the surface of his life are only to be subdued by a gradual sweetening of the inward spirit.
b. Painting and Drawing. (See sweeten 8 b.)
1688Holme Armoury iii. 149/2 Sweetning, is the working one colour into another with a soft Pencil: that they will look as one colour, though they be diverse. c1790J. Imison Sch. Arts II. 63 To use his crayon in sweetening as much, and his finger as little, as possible.
c. The action of rendering pleasant, alleviating, palliating, making gracious, etc.
1592Nashe P. Penilesse F j b, If I were to paint Sloth (as I am not seene in the sweetening)..I would draw it like a Stationer that I know, with his thumb vnder his girdle. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. xxxviii. §2 For the raysing vp of mens hearts, and the sweetning of their affections towards God. 1829Newman in Liddon, etc. Life Pusey (1893) I. viii. 167 You will be doing as much to the sweetening of your book..as by your humanities towards Mr. R.
d. slang. (See sweeten 9.)
1896J. F. B. Lillard Poker Stories viii. 191 Then along came a big jack pot that had been enlarged by repeated sweetenings. 1903[see sweeten 9]. 1904[see sweetener 3 b].
e. Oil Industry. The process of freeing petroleum products of sulphur or sulphur compounds.
1924Industr. & Engin. Chem. Nov. 1113 Sweetening consists in the removal of hydrogen sulfide and of alkyl mercaptans which are the only compounds responsible for sourness. 1959H. M. Noel Petroleum Refinery Man. v. 153/1 Kerosene stocks which are too low in smoke point to be finished by simple sweetening. 1970C. L. Thomas Catalytic Processes & Proven Catalysts xix. 199 Mercaptans in gasoline have an objectionable odor (‘sour’ gasoline). By converting them to disulfides which have less odor, a ‘sweet’ gasoline is produced; hence the term ‘sweetening’.
2. That which sweetens; something that imparts a sweet flavour.
long sweetening, short sweetening: see long a. 18.
1819Moore Rhymes on Road xv. 18 Him Whose bitter death-cup from above Had yet this sweetening [later altered to cordial] round the rim. 1872Schele de Vere Americanisms 206 The backwoodsman finds at home, besides honey, the long and short sweetening, peculiar to the West. 1884Roe Nat. Ser. Story ix, Berries, to which the sun had been adding sweetening. 1890Boston (Mass.) Jrnl. 20 May 2/2, I..made a year's sweetening from maple sirup.
▪ II. ˈsweetening, ppl. a.
[f. as prec. + -ing2.]
That sweetens.
1. Imparting a sweet taste, smell, etc.; freeing from taint, purifying.
1707Mortimer Husb. (1721) I. 351 Sweetning Vapours of the Air. 1804T. Bewick Brit. Birds (1847) II. 204 When they have undergone a certain sweetening process before cooking. 1830M. Donovan Dom. Econ. I. 269 The sugar of the grape..differs from common sugar..in having less sweetening power. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Sweetening cock, a wholesome contrivance for preventing fetid effluvia in ships' holds.
2. Rendering something pleasant or delightful; producing pleasant feeling or gracious disposition; † soothing.
1644Bulwer Chirol. 78 Drawing our Hand with a sweetning motion over the head. 1648Owen Right. Zeal Encouraged Wks. 1851 VIII. 152 A close labouring in all his ways without the least sweetening endearments. 1810Southey Kehama viii. xi, No sweetening vengeance roused a brave despair. 1886Dickie Words Faith, etc. (1892) 135 He adds His sweetening blessing to it. |