| 释义 |
goodness|ˈgʊdnɪs|
Forms: (see good and -ness).
[OE. gódnes; cf. MHG. guotnisse.]
1. The quality or condition of being good.
a. Of persons: Moral excellence, virtue. Occasionally in pl.: Good qualities.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvii. §3 Ðæs godan godnes biþ his aᵹen god and his aᵹen edlean, swa biþ eac þæs yfelan yfel his aᵹen yfel. c1175Lamb. Hom. 81 Þes patriarches..gode men weren..and al þos godnesse hom ne mihte werien, þet ho ne wenden alle in to helle. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 739 Þe king of france hurde telle of ire godnesse & bed hire fader granti him þe gode cordeile. c1340Cursor M. 10086 (Trin.) Ful leef was vs þat lady lele Þat godenesses [Gött. bountes] bare in hir so fele. c1410Hoccleve Mother of God 30 Temple of our Lord and roote of al goodnesse. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4783 To bryng his folk to gudnes. c1500Melusine xxi. 134 Goodnes & bounte is betre than fayrenes & beaulte. 1603Shakes. Meas. for M. iii. i. 215 Vertue is bold, and goodnes neuer fearefull. 1672Temple Ess. Govt. Wks. 1731 I. 98 Goodness, is that which makes Men prefer their Duty and their Promise before their Passions, or their Interest. 1840Mill Diss. & Disc. (1859) II. 69. note, Fewer small goodnesses, but more greatness. 1876Mozley Univ. Serm. iv. 85 Gifts of the intellect and imagination..do not constitute moral goodness.
b. Of things material or immaterial: Absolute or comparative excellence in respect of some specified or implied quality. Now somewhat rare.
1387–8T. Usk Test. Love Prol. 3 Of the goodnesse or of the badnesse of the sentence take they litel hede or els non. 1488–9Act 4 Hen. VII c. 8 Every other Cloth..abrode yerde..to be sold..after the rate of the godenesse therof. 1589Cogan Haven Health cxciv. (1636) 176 The goodnesse of the pasture helpeth much to the goodnesse of the milke. 1631Gouge God's Arrows iii. §9. 202 Circumstances make much to the goodnesse or badnesse of an action. 1651Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxvi. 146 Depending..on the goodnesse of a mans own naturall Reason. 1719London & Wise Compl. Gard. 221 The Lettuces are gather'd first, and after⁓wards the Endives arrive to their full Goodness. 1781T. Jefferson Corr. Wks. 1859 I. 298 Our superiority in the goodness, though not in the number of our cavalry. 1812Woodhouse Astron. xliii. 429 Telescopes of the same power and goodness. 1845Stephen Comm. Laws Eng. (1874) I. 45 The goodness of a custom depends upon its having been used time out of mind. 1870Max Müller Sci. Relig. (1873) 2 Such was the goodness of the cause I had then to defend.
2. Moral excellence as displayed in one's relations to others.
a. As an attribute of the Deity († said also of Christ and the Virgin Mary): Infinite benevolence, a desire for the happiness of all created beings; also the manifestation of this; beneficence.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §5 Þu sædes þæt Godes goodnes & his ᵹesæliᵹnes & he self þæt þæt wære eall an. c1200Vices & Virtues (1888) 83 Acc nu ic bidde ðe, for ðine michele godnesse. c1340Cursor M. 3411 (Trin.) Oure lord þat is of godenes [other MSS. bounte] boun To ysaac ȝaf his benesoun. c1386Chaucer Man of Law's T. 853 Til cristes mooder..Hath shapen, thurgh hir endelees goodnesse, To make an ende of al hir heuynesse. 1413Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iv. xii. 63 We owen nought for his goodnesse to done hym vnryght. c1460Towneley Myst. iv. 271, I thank the, lord, well of goodnes. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 5 The goodnes of god..hath ordeyned that [etc.]. 1620Sanderson Serm. ad Clerum iii. (1674) 43 As Power is ascribed to the Father, and Wisdom to the Son; so is Goodness to the Holy Ghost. 1662Bk. Com. Prayer, Pr. for all Conditions of Men, We commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted. 1699Burnet 39 Art. i. (1700) 29 The chief Act and Design of Goodness, is the making us truly good. 1738Wesley Psalms xiii. x, I sing the goodness of the Lord, The goodness I experience now. 1860Pusey Min. Proph. 562 Goodness is that attribute of God, whereby He loveth to communicate to all, who can or will receive it, all good.
b. In men: Kindly feeling; kindness, generosity, clemency; the manifestation of this. Frequent in phrase have the goodness to{ddd}, as a form of polite request (? orig. a Gallicism, = F. ayez la bonté de).
c1000ælfric Hom. II. 508 Se halᵹa hi eft alysde, and let hi forðgan for his godnysse. a1300Cursor M. 10426 (Gött.) Quen þat þar day was cumyn of þe fest, þan men suld bolde þaim to be blith, And ilk man his godness to kith. c1386Chaucer Melib. ⁋777 We preien yow and biseke yow..that it lyke vn-to youre grete goodnesse to fulfillen in dede youre goodliche wordes. 1548Hall Chron., Hen. VII, 34 b, The kynge of hys goodnes remitted their offence, and restored them to their libertie. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 263 Your great Goodnesse, out of holy pitty, Absolu'd him with an Axe. 1680Burnet Rochester (1692) 55 Goodness is an inclination to promote the Happiness of others. 1709Poncet Voy. æthiopia 29 He had the Goodness to give us a Person to be our Safe-guard. 1768Sterne Sent. Journ. (1778) I. 75 (Remise) Have the goodness, madam..to step in. 1798Ferriar Illustr. Sterne i. 20 Mary received him with goodness. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xii. III. 221 The indulgence, he said, was grossly abused:..his Majesty would soon have reason to repent his goodness.
†3.
a. Advantage, benefit, profit. Rarely pl. Obs.
a1300Cursor M. 718 (Gött.) He thoght þat thing forto stint, þat godd to gret goddnes had mint. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 10599 Hys broþer had þe godenesse of hys song. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xviii. 85 Þe folk wirschepez þe ox..for þe sympilnes and þe gudeness þat commez of him. 1502Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) i. iv. 42 All y⊇ goodnesses of grace of benedyccyon & of glory. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utop. i. (Arb.) 51 A matter whiche..should be..great commoditie and goodness to the opener and detectour of the same. 1583Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 71 Too turne too goodnesse this sight and merciles omen.
†b. Good fortune; prosperity. Obs. rare.
1422tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. (E.E.T.S.) 199 In this wyse he knew god ayeyne in angwysche and in myssayse, whych he had foryetene whan he was in his goodnes. 1550Coverdale Spir. Perle xviii. (? 1555) 139 After trouble and aduersite foloweth al maner of goodnes and felicite.
†4.
a. quasi-concr. Something good, a good act or deed. Obs.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8936 Þe godnesse, þat þe king henry & þe quene Mold Dude here to Engelond, ne may neuere be told. c1300St. Brandan 533 For no godnisse that ich habbe i-do bote of oure Louerdes Milce and ore. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §162 Yf thou wolde haue any goodnes done vnto y⊇..lykewyse sholdest thou do vnto thy neybour, yf it lye in thy power. a1533Ld. Berners Huon xliii. 142 All the goodness and greate gyftes that I haue gyuen among you. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 370 That he was right joyous to be in his presence, trusting that some goodnesse should grow thereby.
b. the goodness: That which is good in anything; the strength or virtue of it.
1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 45 Donng..must be laide upon the toppe of the highest of the grounde, that the goodnesse may runne to the bottome. 1796H. Glasse Cookery xii. 180 Strain it boiling hot through a cloth till you have all the goodness out of it. 1806A. Hunter Culina (ed. 3) 21 Stew till all the goodness be got from the meat. 1871Earle Philol. Eng. Tongue 87 Even so it is with the dialects—all their goodness is gone into the King's English.
5. In various exclamatory phrases, in which the original reference was to the goodness of God (cf. sense 2 a above), as goodness gracious!, goodness (only) knows!, † for goodness!, for goodness' sake!, in the name of goodness!, (I wish) to goodness!, surely to goodness!, thank goodness!, etc., or simply goodness!
In the first quot. the sense of for goodness' sake may be merely ‘in order to be kind’; in the second from the same play it is rather ‘as you trust in the goodness of God’ (cf. for mercy's, pity's sake, where there is a similar equivoque). The phrases are not now in dignified use.
1613Shakes. Hen. VIII Prol. 23 Therefore, for Goodnesse sake, and as you are knowne The First and Happiest Hearers of the Towne, Be sad, as we would make ye. Ibid. iii. i. 159 For Goodnesse sake, consider what you do, How you may hurt your selfe. 1642View of Print. Book int. Observat. 20 In the name of goodnesse then, what is that which the people speak of? 1650T. Bayly Herba Parietis 26 He begs, and prayes her, for goodnesse sake,..that she would not speake a word of what had passed. 1704Swift Battle of Bks. Misc. (1711) 246 Goodness, said Momus, can you sit idely here [etc.]? 1806M. Wilmot Let. 13 Dec. in Russ. Jrnls. (1934) 274, I wish to Goodness all my Books were this moment in the Music Room. 1814Love, Honor, & Interest ii. iii, For goodness, sir, tell me what means this haste. 1819P. Hawker Diary (1893) I. 185 Here I remained..for goodness knows how many hours. 1840Dickens Barn. Rudge ix, Goodness gracious me! 1872Punch 11 May 199/1 Thank goodness we have a House of Lords. 1875Trollope Way we live Now II. lxi. 68 He ‘wished to goodness’ that he had dined at his club. 1876Ouida Winter City xiv. 384 He thanked goodness it was the last of her caprices. 1890‘L. Falconer’ Mlle. Ixe (1891) 75, I wish to goodness your people would give a dance, Evelyn! |