| 释义 |
▪ I. -th, suffix1
a formative of ns.a. from verbs; in some words, as bath, birth, death, math, oath, OTeut., repr. various Indo-Eur. suffixes, as -tos, -tâ, -tis, -tus, in which the t following the stressed syllable regularly became þ in Teutonic; in others, as growth, tilth, going back to ON. or OE.; in others, as blowth, spilth, stealth, of later analogical formation. In many words Indo-Eur. t remained in consequence of its position, or þ was subsequently changed to t: see -t suffix3 a.
b. from adjs. (rarely ns.), representing Indo-Eur. -itâ, OTeut. -iþô, Goth. -iþa, OE. -þu, -þo, -þ, with prec. i- umlaut, forming abstract nouns of state: as filth (OE. fýlþ, OS. fūlitha from fúl foul), health, length, mirth, strength, truth; in ME. and also in cognate langs., dearth, depth; of later analogical formation, breadth, sloth (cf. OE. slǽwþ), wealth. In some words of this group, þ has, by phonetic causes, become t, e.g. OE. híehþu, ME. heiȝþe, now height, ON. slægð, ME. sleiȝþe, now sleight: see -t suffix3 b.
▪ II. -th, suffix2
forming ordinal numbers; in modern literary Eng. used with all simple numbers from fourth onward; representing OE. -þa, -þe, or -oða, -oðe, used with all ordinals except fífta, sixta, ellefta, twelfta, which had the ending -ta, -te; in Sc., north. Eng., and many midland dialects the latter, in form -t, is used with all simple numerals after third (fourt, fift, sixt, sevent, tent, hundert, etc.). In Kentish and O. Northumbrian those from seventh to tenth had formerly the ending -da, -de. All these variations, -th, -t, -d, represent an original Indo-Eur. -tos (cf. Gr. πέµπ-τος, L. quin-tus), understood to be identical with one of the suffixes of the superlative degree. In OE. fífta, sixta, the original t was retained, being protected by the preceding consonant; the -þa and -da were due to the position of the stress accent, according to Verner's Law.
The ordinals from twentieth to ninetieth have -eth, OE. -oða, -oðe. In compound numerals -th is added only to the last, as 1/1345, the one thousand three hundred and forty-fifth part; in his one-and-twentieth year.
2. Used in works of fiction with preceding dash or hyphen to denote an unspecified ordinal number presented as the name of an unspecified or fictitious regiment.
1847Thackeray Van. Fair (1848) xxxvi. 324 Colonel O'Dowd, of the —th regiment. 1867‘Ouida’ Under Two Flags I. v. 101 The —th came back to Brighton and to barracks. 1931S. Jameson Richer Dust x. 297 Someone asked him if it were true that the —th had run like hell in front of Festubert. 1949G. Heyer Arabella ii. 33 Algernon..held a commission in the –th Regiment. |