| 释义 |
▪ I. assault, n.|əˈsɔːlt|
Forms: 3 asaȝt, 3–7 asaut, assaut, 4 asauȝt, 4–6 asaute, asawt(e, assalt, 5 a sawt(e, a-saute, 5–6 assaute, -awte, 6 a saute, a saulte, 5– assault.
[a. OF. asaut (later assaut), cf. Pr. assalt, It. assalto, Sp. asalto: —late pop. L. *adsaltus, f. the simple saltus leap, which took the place of its L. equivalent ad-, assultus, deriv. of adsilīre, when the latter gave place to the analytical ad-salīre: see assail. The original asaut was altered (with an eye to the Latin), c 1530, to assault. Already in 13th c. aphetized to saut, whence in 16th c. sault q.v.]
1. a. gen. An onset or rush upon any one with hostile intent; an attack with blows or weapons.
1297R. Glouc. 380 Vor trauayl of þe foul asaȝt. c1314Guy Warw. 74 Thou schalt gif the first asaut Opon the Almaundes. 1382Wyclif Acts xix. 29 Thei maden a sawt..in to the teatre. c1400Destr. Troy xxvi. 10271 A folke þat was fell, fuerse of assaute. 1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iv. i. 24 In which assault, we lost twelue hundred men. 1611Bible 1 Macc. iv. 8 Neither be ye afraid of their assault. 1877W. Lytteil Landm. iii. i. 101 To guard the shores of Gaul against the assaults of these northern buccaneers.
b. spec. assault (of or at arms): an attack made upon each other by two fencers, etc., as an exercise or trial of skill; and, in a wider sense (after F. assaut d'armes), a display of hand-to-hand military exercises.
1694Sir W. Hope Swordman's Vade M. 68 He should take his Lessons and Assault in his Cloaths and walking Shoes. 1771J. Olivier Fencing 141 An assault is the resemblance of a single fight with swords, where you perform..all the thrusts and all the parades that you learned by lessons. 1851Handbill 27 Jan., Assault of Arms..at the Swan Hotel, Hastings. 1884Daily News 26 May 5/6 Military Assault-at-Arms in aid of Charity, Kensington Town Hall.
2. The sudden rush or charge of an attacking force against the walls of a city or fortress; a storm; esp. in the phrases to make assault or give assault, to win, gain, take, or carry by assault.
1297R. Glouc. 409 Hii sette Roberd Courtehose..in þe Est syde, þe asaut vor to do. 1375Barbour Bruce xvii. 474 The assalt haf thai levit all. 1480Caxton Chron. Eng. v. (1520) 45 b/2 The kynges men gave a greate assaute unto the castell. 1530Palsgr. 619/1, I make a saulte to a towne. c1532Ld. Berners Huon 519 They went to the castell of Iaffet and toke it with assaulte. 1685Lond. Gaz. 24 Aug. 1/2 The Enemy gave several Assaults to the Outworks. 1872Yeats Growth Comm. 180 He took Goa by assault.
3. An unlawful attack upon the person of another. (In Law a menacing word or action is sufficient to constitute an assault, the term battery being techn. added when an actual blow is inflicted.)
1447–8J. Shillingford Lett. (1871) 90 Affrayes assautes and other riotous mysgovernaunce. 1581Lambarde Eiren. ii. iii. (1588) 135 An Assualt..can not be performed, without the offer of some hurtfull blow, or at the least of some fearefull speach. 1590Greene Arcadia (1616) 47 Without either assault or any such batterie. 1768Blackstone Comm. III. 120 If one lifts up his cane, or his fist, in a threatning manner at another; or strikes at him, but misses him; this is an assault. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 296 A soldier therefore by knocking down his colonel, incurred only the ordinary penalties of assault and battery.
4. An attack upon institutions, opinions, or customs; an endeavour to overthrow them by argument or by hostile measures.
c1449Pecock Repr. i. xiii. 71 For that he knowith me admytte and allowe the writingis..he makith aȝens me this assaut. a1674Clarendon (J.) After some unhappy assaults upon the prerogative by the parliament. a1704Locke (J.) Theories built upon narrow foundations are very hard to be supported against the assaults of opposition. 1841Myers Cath. Th. iv. §22. 291 The assaults which are made upon them by natural and scholastic scepticism.
5. transf. and fig. Hostile approach, attack, onset.
1508Fisher Wks. (1876) 277 Abidynge the sharpe assautes of deth. 1814Wordsw. Excurs. v. 689 Unshaken bears the assault Of their most dreaded foe, the strong south-west. 1856Kane Arct. Exp. I. xx. 245 In the polar zone the assault [of the climate] is immediate and sudden.
6. esp. An attack by spiritual enemies; a temptation to evil. (The earliest use in Eng.)
c1230Ancr. R. 196 Þer þes deofles assauz beoð ofte strengest. 1486Caxton Curial 8 Thassaultes of whyche I am enuyronned. 1671Milton Samson 845 Hear what assaults I had, what snares besides, What sieges girt me round. 1877Sparrow Serm. iii. 32 The enemy makes there his subtlest and strongest assault..and thus the man falls.
†7. A love-proposal, a wooing. Obs.
1599Shakes. Much Ado ii. iii. 120 Inuincible against all assaults of affection. 1611― Cymb. i. vi. 150 The King my Father shall be made acquainted Of thy Assault.
8. Applied attrib. to equipment or troops used in making an assault, as assault boat, assault craft, assault ship, assault troops; assault course, a course of training in assault; also assault practice.
1915Bayonet Fighting (H.M.S.O.) 1 To obtain efficiency with the bayonet, the men..should frequently carry out the Final Assault Practice. 1916Bayonet Training vi. 26 The ‘points’ will also be practised..on dummies placed, as a preparation for the Final Assault Course, in positions of increasing difficulty. 1941War Illustr. 18 Apr. 398 Collapsible boats of wood and canvas, known as assault boats, much larger than the rubber boats, are used when a number of troops are to be carried across water. 1943Combined Operations ii. 16 (caption) Assault Course. In the battle schools, British troops are trained under realistic conditions. Ibid. 17 Landing craft are carried by infantry landing ships, originally known as assault ships. 1943Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War July 247/2 As the assault craft headed towards the beaches, everything was very quiet. 1945Daily Tel. 12 June 1/1 Assault troops of the Australian Ninth Division..quickly established beachheads against almost no resistance. 1959Times 8 Sept. 4/2 Rotodyne vertical take-off and landing aircraft..will be able to carry 70 fully equipped assault troops.
▪ II. assault, v.|əˈsɔːlt|
Forms: 5–6 assawte, 6 a saute, assaute, assalt, 7 assult, 6– assault. Aphet. 5–7 sault, etc. q.v.
[a. OF. asaute-r, cogn. w. It. assaltare, Sp. asaltar, Romanic type ad-, assaltāre, f. L. ad to, at + saltāre to leap, spring, which took the place of the L. equivalent ad-, assultāre, freq. of ad-silīre. Cf. prec. and assail.]
1. To make a violent hostile attack by physical means upon (a person, army, etc.); to commit an unlawful or criminal assault upon the person of (see assault n. 3). to assault a city or fortress: (in mod. usage) to attack it by a sudden rush of armed men, to storm.
c1450Merlin iv. 69 Yef he me assawte with werre. 1513Bradshaw St. Werburge 163 As the kynges were sautynge this forsayd cite. 1604Shakes. Oth. v. ii. 258 Speake with me, Or, naked as I am I will assault thee. 1611Bible Acts xvii. 5 And assaulted the house of Iason. 1685R. Burton Eng. Emp. Amer. i. 21 His Horsemen..assulted Atahaliba's people. 1722De Foe Moll Fl. (1840) 269 He should commit him to Newgate for assaulting the constable. 1860Froude Hist. Eng. V. xxvi. 206 The next morning Norwich was assaulted. 1884Daily News 23 June 5/3 Two lads of nine were accused of assaulting a little boy of three.
b. fig. or transf.
1622R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea (1847) 63 The gownes being well soked, every man..tooke one, and assaulted the fire. 1709Pope Let. H. Cromwell May 7 Wks. 1837 V. 66 'Tis a mercy I do not assault you with a number of original Sonnets and Epigrams.
2. To attack with hostile words; to speak or write directly against; = assail v. 4. arch. or Obs.
1561T. N[orton] Calvin's Inst. i. 18 To shew y⊇ quicknesse of their witt in assalting the truthe of God. 1670Cotton Espernon i. ii. 83 The Leaguers..wish'd they had never assaulted the Duke by the way of writing.
3. To attack with reasoning or argument; to address with the object of persuading, convincing, or controverting; = assail v. 5. arch. or Obs.
1551–6Robinson tr. More's Utopia 15 To assault me until he..persuaded me. a1674Clarendon Hist. Reb. (1702) I. v. 464 Hoping..that they would not..have thought fit to assault him with a Newer Declaration.
4. Of things: To come roughly against, so as to batter, injure, or hurt; to dash against; = assail v. 7.
1667Milton P.L. ii. 953 A universal hubbub..Assaults his eare. 1781Gibbon Decl. & F. III. xlviii. 25 His vessel was assaulted by a violent tempest. 1850Lynch Theo. Trin. xii. 230 The roaring of the waves..assaults our ear.
5. Of physical or mental states, as of disease: To come upon, attack, invade. arch. or Obs.
1594T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. ii. 365 Gowtie persons..be not assaulted with such great and vehement floods of waters. 1774Mrs. Chapone Improv. Mind. II. 20 When we find ourselves assaulted by this infirmity.
6. To assail with temptations; to tempt, try. arch. or Obs.
1529More Comf. agst. Trib. ii. Wks. 1197/1 Nor all the deuilles in hell so strong to inuade and assawte him, as god is to defende him. 1585Abp. Sandys Serm. (1841) 263 Satan ceaseth not to assault our faith. 1714Addison Spect. No. 598 ⁋7 Levity of Temper..opens a Pass to his Soul for any Temptation that assaults it.
7. absol. chiefly in sense 1. (In quot. 1575 A saute may be the n. used interjectionally.)
1489Caxton Faytes of Armes i. ix. 23 To teche hem bettre in all thynges to fighte and to sawte. 1575Churchyard Chippes (1817) 106 A saute, a saute, wee lye ore longe in trenche. 1595Shakes. John ii. i. 408 Say, where will you assault? 1667Milton P.L. xi. 657 By Batterie, Scale, and Mine, Assaulting.
b. To attack in fencing: see assault n. 1 b.
1694Sir W. Hope Swordman's Vade M. 69 When People assault, it is commonly with Blunts.
▪ III. assault
in phr. to be assault or go assault: see assaut. |