| 释义 |
prettiness|ˈprɪtɪnɪs|
[f. pretty a. + -ness.]
The quality of being pretty.
1. ‘Beauty without dignity; neat elegance without elevation’ (J.); beauty of a slight, diminutive, dainty, or childish kind, without stateliness.
1530Palsgr. 257/2 Prattynesse, mignonnerie. 1653H. More Antid. Ath. ii. ix. (1712) 65 There being..that Majesty and Stateliness, as in the Lion, the Horse, the Eagle, and Cock; or that grave Awfulness, as in..Mastiffs; or Elegancy and Prettiness, as in your lesser Dogs, and most sorts of Birds; all which are several Modes of Beauty. 1663Cowley Ess. in Verse & Prose, Greatness, If I were ever to fall in love again..it would be, I think, with Prettiness, rather than with Majestical Beauty. 1707Reflex. upon Ridicule 190 Tis vast Impertinence in an Old Woman, to think to set up for Prettiness. 1832W. Irving Alhambra II. 13 A neatness, a grace, and an all-pervading prettiness, that were perfectly fascinating. 1859Lang Wand. India 2 These houses..nothing can exceed in prettiness their aspect as they shine in the sun. 1874J. Fergusson in Contemp. Rev. Oct. 755 The vigour of the crude colouring..of the staircase at Cardiff stands in strange contrast with the feeble prettiness of Worcester Chapel.
†2. Pleasantness, agreeableness. Obs.
1602Shakes. Ham. iv. v. 189 Thought, and Affliction, Passion, Hell it selfe, She turns to Fauour, and to prettinesse. 1658Evelyn Diary 27 Jan., He [a child] was all life, all prettinesse, far from morose, sullen, or childish in any thing he said or did.
†b. Cleverness; amusingness. Obs.
1674R. Godfrey Inj. & Ab. Physic 90 But the prettiness of the Knack was that Master Docter who denyed strong⁓beer to his two Patients..was almost angry with his servant for not quickly bringing up a Cup of the Best-beer to quench his thirst.
3. with a and pl. That which is pretty; a pretty act, thing, feature, etc.; a pretty ornament.
1649Jer. Taylor Gt. Exemp. Disc. i. §10 Receiving and ministring respectively, perpetual prettinesses of love, and fondnesse. 1686W. de Britaine Hum. Prud. xiv. 64, I ever had a Noble Affection for that excellent Sex, as great Instruments of good, and the prettinesses of Society. 1826Miss Mitford Village Ser. ii. Copse 47 All this and a thousand amusing prettinesses..does my beautiful grey⁓hound perform. 1832Ibid. Ser. v. C. Cleveland 202 The nuptial prettinesses of cake, and gloves, and silver favours. 1865Trollope Belton Est. i, The prettinesses of Somersetshire are among those which are the least known. 1888M. E. Braddon Fatal Three i. i, The room was full of flowers and prettinesses of every kind. 1893Mrs. C. Praed Outlaw & Lawm. I. 62 It was always Elsie who did the prettinesses..whether it was in our ball dresses or our parlour.
4. Affected, trivial, or conceited beauty of expression, style, or execution in literature or art. Also, an instance of this, a prettyism.
1660H. More Myst. Godl. v. xiv. 172 The learned Hugo Grotius..the ingenuities and prettinesses of whose expositions had almost imposed upon my self to a belief that there might be some such sense also of the Revelation as he drives at. 1690Norris Beatitudes (1692) 118 There is more prettiness in the Expression, than truth in the Notion. 1712Steele Spect. No. 474 ⁋4 Their distinguishing Mark is certain Prettinesses of Foreign Languages, the Meaning of which they could have better express'd in their own. 1751Smollett Per. Pic. (1779) II. lxvii. 233 He..uttered a thousand prettinesses in the way of compliment. 1794Mathias Purs. Lit. (1798) 56 Before they attempt by prettinesses, glittering words, points, conceits, and forced thoughts, to sacrifice propriety and just imagery to the rage of mere novelty. 1887Leeds Mercury 8 Jan. 10/1 A scholar who delights in the delicacies and prettinesses of scholarship. |