| 释义 |
rife, a. (n.) and adv.|raɪf|
Forms: 2 ryfe, 3–5 riue (rive), ryue (ryve); 3–5 rif, rijf (4 riif, 5 riife, riyf), 5–7 riffe, 6–7 rief (6 riefe), 3— rife; 4–5 ryf (5 ryif, ryyf), 5–6 ryfe, ryffe, 5–7 ryff.
[Late OE. rýfe (for *rífe), = mod.Fris. rjû, MDu. rive, rijf, MLG. rîve, ryve (LG. rîfe), ON. rífr (MSw. river, Norw. riv). The prevalence of the word in early southern texts is in favour of its being native in English, rather than an adoption from Scandinavian.]
A. adj.
1. Of common or frequent occurrence; prevalent; widespread:
a. Of hurtful or obnoxious things or conditions; in later use esp. of infectious diseases or epidemics.
c1120in Sax. Leechd. III. 164 Ðere .vii. niht ᵹyf wind byoð, fir byð swyðe ryfe þy ᵹeare. c1205Lay. 631 Þar was muchel blod-gute; baluwe þer wes riue. Ibid. 20677 Dæð þer wes rife. a1300Cursor M. 1594 Hijs faas to bring al o lijf, And waass þat wrang, þat was sa rijf. c1315Shoreham iv. 307 Þat senne hys ryf in londe. c1400Destr. Troy 11775 To be cumbrid with couetous,..That rote is & rankist of all the rif syns. 1432–50tr. Higden (Rolls) II. 185 The worlde..is now..constreynede as with ryfe greuaunces to a nye dethe. 1543Surrey Satire agst. Citizens London, Synnes, that groo Within thy wicked walls so ryfe. 1575Troubles about Com. Prayer 138 Siknesse beinge so riffe in this citye. 1616R. C. Time's Whistle (1871) 68 'Mongst such men are rife These damnd opinions. 1692Bentley Boyle Lect. 29 So other epidemical vices..are rife and predominant only for a season. 1705Stanhope Paraphr. II. 101 It is rife and catching, swelling from less to greater. 1756C. Lucas Ess. Waters I. 182 Though this disorder be too rife in our country, I see no just cause for pronouncing it endemial. 1816J. Wilson City of Plague iii. iv, I wonder where will imposition end Thus rife within the dwellings of the dead! 1849Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life (1870) III. 216 It [small-pox] has been most rife in the neighbourhood, and very heavy. 1871Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. 118 Even where no open outbreak took place, local conspiracies were everywhere rife.
b. Of good or neutral things or conditions.
c1205Lay. 32107 Þenne scullen i Bruttene blissen wurðen riue. c1320Cast. Love 150 Þere joye and blisse is so ryue. 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. cxxi, The songis new, the fresch carolis and dance,..That quhilum was amongis thame so ryf. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 170, I haue oft tymes bene quhair gude has bene ryfe. 1531Tindale Exp. 1 John (1537) 91 Hys wyshynge is playne ynoughe, for it is so ryfe in other Epistles. 1594Blundevil Exerc. iv. l. (1636) 518 What winds and currents were most rife in every place. 1601Holland Pliny II. 565 As for Dipœnus, his workes were rife in Ambracia. 1725De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 301 Wagers were very rife among us. 1840Dickens Old C. Shop v, The activity and noise of city day were rife in the street. 1878Huxley Physiogr. 203 An area in which volcanic action must have been rife on an enormous scale.
†c. Customary or common to or with a person.
c1430Hymns Virgin (1867) 124 Man, hytt was þe [= to thee] fulle ryve To swere be my wowndys fyve. 1573New Custom ii. ii, Then shall you perceive that Hypocrisy is rife To all kind of men. 1654Gataker Disc. Apol. 3 For it is a rife matter with thee to hear ill language from others, and as ready a matter to return the like again.
2. a. Of rumours, reports, etc.: Common or generally current in popular knowledge or talk.
In quots. 1390 and 1564 not clearly distinct from sense 3.
1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 26 Men sais in Lyncoln castelle ligges ȝit a stone;..þat saw is ȝit rife. 1390Gower Conf. I. 213 Two Sones..Whos fame is yit in Grece rif. 1564Haward Eutropius To Rdr. 4 Those gestes of such men are so ryfe in memory, that in manner they do yet lyve. 1599Broughton's Let. 48 It was rife that you were proued mad. 1600Holland Livy ii. xxxii. 65 This is the rifer report, and goeth more currant, than that whereof Piso is the author. 1635R. N. tr. Camden's Hist. Eliz. ii. 111 The rumour of the marriage waxed more and more rife. 1667Milton P.L. i. 650 Whereof so rife There went a fame in Heav'n. 1792Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 31 The reports which they circulate..grow more rife than ever. 1856Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) II. xi. 473 A rumour of the queen's arrest was rife in London. 1894Standard 8 Oct., The reports which are rife as to a hostile squadron having been sighted.
b. Of words or phrases: Commonly or frequently employed or heard; esp. in the phrase rife in (one's) mouth. Now rare.
1513Douglas æneis i. Prol. 381 [Words] Quhilkis ar als rife amange clerkis in scule As euir fowlis plungit in laik. 1534More Comf. agst. Trib. iii. Wks. 1249/2 The manifolde foolishe vnfaythfull woordes which are so ryfe in our manye mouthes. 1562Turner Herbal ii. 37 But what if thys were a ryfe phrase in Pliny? 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. vi. xviii. §5. 100 Hauing that Apothegme of Scipio Africanus rife in his mouth. 1671Milton Samson 866 That grounded maxim So rife and celebrated in the mouths Of wisest men. 1878Browning La Saisiaz 68 What's the adage rife in man's mouth?
†c. Common, trivial. Obs. rare—1.
1598Bp. Hall Sat. iv. i. 161 O Esculape! how rife is phisicke made, When each brasse-basen can professe the trade.
†3. Widely known, famous, renowned. Obs.
c1250Gen. & Ex. 232 Name he gaf hire ðat is ful Rif. a1300Cursor M. 8531 Homer þe poet, þat was sa rijf, Liued in þis king dauid lijf. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3242 Here fayrhede was yn renoun ryfe. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxvi. (Nicholas) 967 Þane þe Iow ryf has mad þis merakle. c1407Lydg. Reason & Sens. 1879 Kyng Pelleus..Helde a feste, as hit is ryfe, At the weddyng of his wyf. c1470Harding Chron. Proem x. 4 [He] begatte on her Philip, his doughter ryue.
4. Abundant, plentiful, ample; large in quantity or number; numerous:
a. With plural ns.
αc1205Lay. 14542 Þa hæðene weoren swa riue, & auere heo comen beliue. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 160 For skaþe of the scorpionus askape þei ne miȝhte, So riue romede þei þe riuer bi-side. c1400Gamelyn 783 Gamelyn and his men made myrthes Ryve. c1425Cast. Persev. 629 in Macro Plays 96 Lykynge! be-lyue late clothe hym swythe In robys ryve With ryche a-ray.
βa1300Cursor M. 7695 For-þi he hight þam giftes rijf, Þat suld bring dauid of his lijf. 1399Langl. Rich. Redeles ii. 5 Hertis y-heedyd,..So ryff as they ronne ȝoure rewme þoru-oute. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees Soc.) 8 So mony myracles in his lyfe, And eftir his dede in rewmes ryfe. 1549–62Sternhold & H. Ps. xvii. 15 Worldly men, to whom all worldly goodes are rife. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utop. i. (1895) 43 Theues neuertheles were in euery place so ryffe and ranke. 1612T. Taylor Comm. Titus i. 6 The last times, wherin the spirits of error shall be more rife than euer. 1627Hakewill Apol. 129 Direfull comets never rifer were. 1725Ramsay Gentle Sheph. i. ii, It's a heartsom thing to be a wife, When round the ingle-edge young sprouts are rife. 1732Fielding Lottery i. i, Folly's a fund Will never lose ground, While fools are so rife in the nation. 1849Murchison Siluria v. 100 Such igneous rocks are rife upon a similar..line. 1860Reade Cloister & H. xxxvii, Great store of deer, and wild boars rife as flies at midsummer.
b. With sing. ns.
αc1230Hali Meid. 9 [Thou] hauest ifunden weane þrin, & wondraðe riue. Ibid. 29 Alle worldes wele ham is inoh riue. c1290St. Edmund 57 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 433 Ore louerdes swete grace with him was wel riue. 14..Sir Beues (M) 15745 Sorowe he had Full ryve, Wery he was of his lyve.
βc1250Gen. & Ex. 1252 Of him cam kinde mikil and rif. a1300E.E. Psalter (Eg.) xxvi. 1 Lauerd mi lihting, mi hele so rife. c1400Destr. Troy 1117 We shall haue riches full riffe & red gold ynogh. c1440J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. iii. 1280 Þis tokne eke beryth wytnesse full ryffe. 1522More De quat. Noviss. Wks. 89/2 If money bee not so rife with them. 1598Yong Diana 28 This greefe which I feele so rife,..I doe deserue as hire. 1615W. Lawson Country Housew. Gard. (1626) 30 In the latter end of the time of grafting, when sap is somewhat rife. 1632Lithgow Trav. v. 208, I saw..Rose-water here in barrels, to be sold, as beere or wine is rife with vs. 1790Morison Poems 130 (E.D.D.), Wha gets the lad she loves, tho' gear's nae rife, May pass a calm, a lov'd and happy life. 1842Lytton Zanoni iv. ii, Where the foliage was rifest.
†c. Strong, loud-sounding. Obs. rare.
1634Milton Comus 203 Eev'n now the tumult or loud Mirth Was rife, and perfet in my list'ning ear.
†d. As n. Abundance, plenty. Obs.—1
1723Ramsay Fair Assembly viii, Attend th' Assembly, where there's rife Of virtuous maids to please ye.
5. Characterized by abundance or plenty of, rich or abounding in, something. Now rare.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 87 Þe saxons þo in her poer þo hii were so riue, Seve kynges made in engelond. a1300Cursor M. 14837 Again his word mai naman strijf, O resun be he neuer sa rijf. a1440Sir Eglam. 1041 When y am dedd, thou getyst no pere, Of ryches thou art so ryfe. 1509Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) II. 31 He that in his costes is so ryfe. 1559Mirr. Mag., Clarence xxxviii, In al good knowledge rife. a1591H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 475 His life is rife in pains and fears. 1621Sanderson Serm. (1681) 185 The Present Age is Rife of many enormous crying Sins. 1711Ramsay Maggy Johnstoun xiv, Of warldly comforts she was rife. 1725― Gentle Sheph. i. ii, When my Pate in bairns and gear grows rife. 1809Campbell Gert. Wyom. i. ix, I boast no song in magic wonders rife.
b. Amply provided, plentifully endowed, etc., with something.
1787Generous Attachment I. 209 This great world is all too rife with calamity. 1826E. Irving Babylon iv. I. 253 The very air and atmosphere is rife with delusion. 1852Tennyson Ode Wellington vii. 183 Whose life was work, whose language rife With rugged maxims hewn from life. 1878Browning La Saisiaz 43 How rife Life were with delights.
6. Disposed or inclined; ready, prompt; quick. Const. for, † of, † to. Now dial.
c1430Hymns Virgin (1867) 110 To sulle and buye ȝif þou be ryf, Wayte al way þat wrong be went. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 7560 Few of þaim leuyd monkis lyfe, Bot all to ryote ware þai ryfe. 1549–62Sternhold & H. Ps. xciv. 21 In their counsels they are rife To shed the guiltlesse bloud. 1567Golding Ovid's Met. vi. (1593) 138 Flags that in these moorish plots so rife of growing beene. 1573Tusser Husb. (1878) 188 Buie thee a knife, else looke for a caruer not alway too rife. 1650Fuller Pisgah i. ii. 35 Thus the Samaritan woman had it rife in her mouth, our Father Jacob. 1680Bunyan Holy War (1905) 327 Such as would seem..very rife and hot for Religion. 1855Robinson Whitby Gloss. s.v., ‘Rife for a row’... ‘Come be rife and let's be off.’
†b. Easy. Obs. rare.
1557in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 204 A gemme of woman⁓hed,..As is not rife to finde the like againe. 1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie ii. xi[i]. (Arb.) 108 With Gods it is rife To geue and bereue breath. 1597Bp. Hall Sat. iii. i. 54 Hath utmost Inde ought better then his owne? Then utmost Inde is neare, and rife to gone.
B. adv. (Cf. MDu. and MDa. rive, MSw. riva.)
†1. Numerously; in large numbers. Obs.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 5039 Hii þat bileuede aliue Ne miȝte noȝt al burye þat folc þat deide so Riue. Ibid. 5219 Þe deneys come bi him riuore þan hii dude er.
2. Abundantly, copiously, largely; manifoldly.
a1300Cursor M. 17853 Godd, þat..has us kyd þi right sa rif. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 5733 Of his miracles men spake ryf. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 399 Al þat nedeþ to þe lyue Þat lond bryngeþ forþ ful ryue. 1577–82Breton Toyes Wks. (Grosart) I. 26/2 Some syng and daunce for lyfe, some Carde and Dyce as ryfe. 1579Lyly Euphues Wks. 1902 I. 189 The Pestilence doth most ryfest infect the cleerest complection. 1838Prescott Ferd. & Is. (1846) I. xi. 445 Wolfsbane, which grew rife in the Sierra Nevada.
†3. Frequently, often. Obs.
a1300Cursor M. 28486 Mi spuseil haf i broken rife. c1430Hymns Virgin (1867) 92 Of þi liuynge be-þinke þee rijfe, In open & in priuite. 1557Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 157 The highest tree in all the woode is rifest rent with blustring windes. 1575Turberv. Faulconrie 267 The most ordinarie hurtes which doe ryfest happen to hawkes. a1618Sylvester Panaretus 1193 Meeting (rife) Their length of Bliss by their dear length of Life.
†4. Promptly, speedily, readily. Obs.
1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 68 To Richere þat was erle, men told it fulle rif. c1350Medical MS. in Archaeologia XXX. 365 Who so take a bene weyte Off powdyr of betonye..And ete it sone after his sopere ryf [etc.]. c1450Lovelich Grail xiii. 949 Thus to him he sente Anon ful Ryf. c1525Tale of the Basyn 20 in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 45 Alle his wyves biddyng he did it full ryve. |