| 释义 |
colourable, colorable, a.|ˈkʌlərəb(ə)l|
Forms see colour n.
[a. OF. colorable corresp. to L. type *colōrābil-is, f. colorāre to colour: see -able. For the force of the suffix, cf. agreeable, comfortable, favourable, etc.]
†1. Possessed of or abounding in colour. Obs.
1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 79 The colourable spots are wrought in fashion of a fishers net. 1705Hickeringill Priest-cr. 49 A Fortnights time shall make it [the moon] as good, as colourable, and as round again, as any Cheese.
†b. Rhet. Ornamental. Cf. colour n. 13.
1565–73Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Gracilitas, Exigere gracilitatem stylo. Quint. To write a low style without colourable amplifications.
2. fig. Having an appearance of truth or right; specious, plausible, fair-seeming.
1382Wyclif Prol. 58 Thouȝ this replicacioun seme colourable, it hath no good ground. c1449Pecock Repr. v. x. 536 Ech colorable argument. 1573G. Harvey Lett.-bk. (Camden) 28 For al his cullerable prætens to the contrari. 1581J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 466 b, Seduced by glavering conceipt of colorable error. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts 509 By faire and colourable treaties.
b. Capable of being presented as true or right; having at least a prima facie aspect of justice or validity.
1581J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 396 One sentence..cann not be found, to make those their Pardons Justifiable or coulorable. 1622Bacon Hen. VII, Wks. (1860) 455 They did also vex men with informations of intrusion, upon scarce colourable titles. 1641Milton Animadv. (1851) 242 Conversant in no Divinity, but that which is colourable to uphold Bishopricks. 1659Bp. Walton Consid. Considered 243 Arguments, to which he could give no colourable answer. 1767Blackstone Comm. II. 248 If the mother was never married to the father, such bastard could have no colourable title at all. 1785T. Jefferson Corr. Wks. 1859 I. 385 The enclosed paper, No. 9, is the only colorable evidence of this. 1830De Quincey Bentley Wks. (1863) vi. 72 Colourable grounds of complaint. 1878E. White Life in Christ iii. xxi. 302 No even colourable escape from this criticism seems possible.
c. Covert, pretended, feigned, counterfeit, collusory, done for appearance' sake.
1440J. Shirley Dethe K. James (1818) 7 He fonde colourabill wais to serve his entent. 1489Caxton Faytes of A. iv. iii. 235 Shall hurt hym undre coulourable deceypte. 1512Act 4 Hen. VIII, c. 2 Preamb., To be removed..by colorable and untrew suggestions. 1563–87Foxe A. & M. (1684) III. 452, I will use no colourable or covert words. 1593Nashe Christ's T. 4 a, They tooke him for a counterfeit or colourable practiser. 1690J. Harrington Def. Rights Univ. Oxford, Case Univ. 49 The said University..have fraudulently..granted colourable priviledges to divers members of the city. 1798Dallas Amer. Law Rep. II. 381 The conveyance was colorable and collusive. 1857Gen. P. Thompson Audi Alt. I. ix. 31 On pretences entirely colourable and false. 1886Times 24 Feb. 4/1 A case of bribery by colourable employment.
d. Of ships' papers, etc.: Drawn up in a deceptive or designedly ambiguous form.
1750Beawes Lex. Mercat. (1752) 93 [The captain] must not carry..fictitious and colourable Ship Papers. 1755N. Magens Insurances I. 488 Every Ship must be provided with complete and genuine Papers..if the Papers be false or colourable..the Law of Nations allows, etc. |