| 释义 |
eloquence|ˈɛləkwəns|
Forms: 5 eloquens, elloquence, 4– eloquence.
[a. Fr. éloquence, ad. L. ēloquentia, f. ēloquent-em eloquent.]
1. The action, practice, or art of expressing thought with fluency, force, and appropriateness, so as to appeal to the reason or move the feelings. Also concr. eloquent language.
Primarily of oral utterance, and hence applied to writing that has the characteristics of good oratory. In mod. use the notion of impassioned utterance is more prominent than in the early examples.
1382Wyclif Cor. Prol., Summe [were overturned] of wordy eloquence of philosofie. c1440Gesta Rom. i. xxi. 71 (Harl. MS.) Wise men..by deceyuable eloquence and takyng of money deceyueth. 1591Shakes. Two Gent. iii. i. 83 And naught esteemes my aged eloquence. 1665–9Boyle Occas. Refl. Ded., Those Celebrated Ladies..by their..Eloquence..taught their Children to sway those Rulers of the World. 1709Tatler No. 70 ⁋2 Eloquence, set off with the proper Ornaments of Voice and Gesture. 1840H. Rogers Ess. (1874) II. v. 224 To give a brief definition of..this truest style of eloquence..it was ‘practical reasoning,’ animated by strong emotion. 1847Grote Greece (1862) IV. ii. xlvi. 108 His eloquence was irresistibly impressive.
b. fig.
1593Hooker Eccl. Pol. i. ii, Our safest eloquence concerning him [God] is our silence. 1713Young Last Day iii. 129 The dreadful eloquence of pain, Our only song. 1715–20Pope Iliad xiv. 252 Silence that spoke and eloquence of eyes. 1814S. Rogers Jacquel. 56 Her tears her only eloquence. 1822Hazlitt Table-t. II. iii. 37 That undisturbed silence of the heart which alone is perfect eloquence.
c. in pl. arch.
1534Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) B iiij, People came to Rome to se the eloquences of the bokes. 1865Carlyle Fredk. Gt. V. xix. v. 495 Suasive eloquences and advices.
†2. Speech or verbal expression in general. Obs.
c1400Rom. Rose 7541 Your wikked thought..That mooveth your foule eloquence. 1658–9N. St. Nicholas in Burton Diary (1828) III. 119, I wish we do not draw God's judgment by such light eloquence.
3. The quality of being eloquent, as an attribute of speakers or writers, their utterances or style.
c1430Lydg. Min. Poems (1840) 5 Alle to declare I have noone eloquence. c1450Crt. Love 2 Of cunning naked, bare of eloquence. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 1 b, My insuffycyency and ignoraunce..lacke bothe lernynge and eloquence. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. iii. i. §15 This particular argument..is managed with a great deal of eloquence. 1704Swift T. Tub xi. 129 This I have produced as a Scantling of Jacks great eloquence. 1831Lytton Godolph. 6 Her father's eloquence had descended to her. Mod. A passage of unsurpassed eloquence.
4. = rhetoric.
1623Cockeram, Eloquence, the Art of Rhetoricke. 1796Morse Amer. Geog. I. 525 Professor of..eloquence. 1852Sir W. Hamilton Discuss. 6 Abraham Remi..Professor Royal of Eloquence.
†5. An alleged technical term denoting a company of lawyers. Obs. rare—1.
1486Bk. St. Albans F vij a, An Eloquens of laweyeris. |