| 释义 |
▪ I. conjecture, n.|kənˈdʒɛktjʊə(r), -tʃə(r)|
Also 5–6 -our(e.
[a. F. conjecture, or its original L. conjectūra, a throwing or casting together, a conclusion derived from comparison of facts, an inference, conclusion, guess, etc., f. conject- ppl. stem of conjicĕre, conicĕre to throw together: see -ure.]
†1. The interpretation of signs or omens; interpretation of dreams; divining; a conclusion as to coming events drawn from signs or omens; a forecast, a prognostication. Obs.
1382Wyclif Dan. ii. 6 Ȝif ȝe shuln telle the sweuen and the coniecture therof [Vulg. coniecturam ejus]. c1546Langley Pol. Verg. De Invent. i. xix. 34 b, A certaine prophet commaunded euery man to stande stil til he had taken a coniecture of the birde that flowe by. 1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 230 To give conjectures of mens conditions and fortune by their countenaunces. 1586T. Hill Garden. Title-p., The yerely coniectures meete for Husbandmen. 1652Gaule Magastrom. 333 Out they went together, to make conjecture of the thiefe by augury. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 123 To cast Ominous conjecture on the whole success. 1697Potter Antiq. Greece ii. xiii. (1715) 312 The Signs by which they made Conjectures.
†2. Conclusion as to facts drawn from appearances or indications. Obs.
c1386Chaucer Clerk's T. 349 By conjecture Hem thought sche was another creature. a1420Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 346 It is sothe, thoughe men by conjecture Of resoun..it ne kan determyne. 1513Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 1874 More lyke an angell by all coniecture Than a fragyll mayde.
†3. The supposing or putting of an imaginary case; supposition. (Cf. conject v. 1 c.) Obs. rare.
c1460Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. ix. (1885) 128 We nede in this case to vse coniecture and ymaginacion, as to thynk that þer is no lordis livelod in Englond sufficient, etc. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, iv. Prol. 1 Now entertaine coniecture of a time, When creeping Murmure..Fills..the Vniuerse.
4. The formation or offering of an opinion on grounds insufficient to furnish proof; the action or habit of guessing or surmising; conclusion as to what is likely or probable. In textual criticism, the proposal of a reading not actually found in the traditional text. † Formerly sometimes in a bad sense: Suspicion, evil surmise.
1535Joye Apol. Tindale 25 Tindale accuseth..me of coniecture and temerariouse iugement. 1570–6Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 10 Out of these things thus alledged, I might (as me thinketh) draw probable conjecture. 1599Shakes. Much Ado iv. i. 107 And on my eie-lids shall Coniecture hang, To turne all beauty into thoughts of harme. 1608Norden Surv. Dial. 1 Speake you this by conjecture..or by due experience of your owne? 1665Boyle Occas. Refl. (1675) 30 But this is only conjecture; and whether it be true or no, etc. 1759Robertson Hist. Scot. I. i. 4 The region of pure fable and conjecture. 1768Johnson Pref. to Shaks. Wks. IX. 292 Of these [passages] the restoration is only to be attempted by collation of copies, or sagacity of conjecture. 1841Borrow Zincali II. 105 Always ready to have recourse to conjecture and guess-work. 1865Conington Virgil I. Pref. to ed. 2, The more important MSS...supply each other's defects..The need of critical conjecture is almost wholly removed. 1878Lecky Eng. in 18th C. II. vii. 277 It is probable that this report..rests largely on conjecture.
b. Absorption of mind in conjecturing; puzzlement.
1815M. Pilkington Celebrity I. 199 Her inquietude became less violent, though her conjecture was increased. Ibid. II. 233 He was so completely lost in conjecture.
5. (with a and pl.) An opinion offered on insufficient presumptive evidence; an unverified supposition put forth to account for something. In textual criticism, a proposed emendation of a text.
1527R. Thorne in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 256 By all coniectures of reason. 1599Thynne Animadv. (1865) 17 This ys a mere conjecture, and of no valydytye. 1671Milton P.R. iv. 292 Dreams, Conjectures, fancies, built on nothing firm. 1768Johnson Pref. to Shaks. Wks. IX. 284 Perverse interpretations, and..improbable conjectures. 1798Ferriar Illustr. Sterne, Varieties of Man 196 Men have so long mistaken their conjectures concerning facts, for facts themselves. 1863Conington Virgil II. Pref., In several places he [Ribbeck] has introduced emendations into the text, generally conjectures of his own. 1874Green Short Hist. v. 213 In spite of a thousand conjectures, we know little of the life of our first great poet.
†b. An evil surmise or suspicion. Obs.
1513Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 1599 Ioseph..There was inprysoned by a false coniectour. 1586A. Day Eng. Secretarie ii. (1625) 15 To satisfie you, and..to expell those causelesse conjectures of him. 1602Shakes. Ham. iv. v. 14 She may strew dangerous coniectures In ill breeding minds. 1692Dryden St. Evremont's Ess. 110 You would be ruined by the Malice of his Conjectures.
†6. A ground or reason for conclusion (not amounting to demonstration). Obs.
1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 287 [They] may haue a great coniecture of grace. 1533More Debell. Salem Wks. 1012/1, I..had and yet haue very good coniectures to put lyttle doubte therin. 1555Eden Decades 33 Whiche thynge they suspected by a thousand coniectures. 1658Sir T. Browne Hydriot. Introd. (1736) 4 Whether the ancient Germans..held any such Fear..we have no authentic Conjecture.
†7. A device, contrivance; esp. for an evil purpose; a plot, conspiracy. Obs. (Cf. conject v. 3.)
1460J. Capgrave Chron. 246 The Kyng tarried..in Walis, tyl, as he supposed, the lordes conjecture was sesed. c1475Partenay Prol. 100 Which..Ful wel lernid were in knightly coniectures. 1494Fabyan Chron. v. cxii. 86 Fredegunde entendyng to make a douorce atwene Chilperich and his wyfe by his subtile and false coniectour.
▪ II. conjecture, v.|kənˈdʒɛktjʊə(r)|
[f. F. conjecture-r (13th c. in Littré), f. conjecture. Cognate forms appear in the other Romanic langs., It. congetturare, Sp. conjeturar, med.L. conjecturāre.]
†1. trans. and intr. To infer or gather from signs or omens; to divine, prognosticate. Obs.
1382[see conjecturing]. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) viii. 29 By þe chaungeyng of þe coloures men..knawes and coniectures wheder it schall be derthe of corne. 1584R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. vii. xi. 117 Conjecture unto me by thy familiar spirit. 1652Gaule Magastrom. 311 Melampus, the augur, conjectured at the slaughter of the Greeks, by the flight of little birds.
†2. trans. To conclude, infer, or judge, from appearances or probabilities. (With obj. or clause.)
1494Fabyan Chron. vi. clxxxvi. 187 Whiche thynge thus by the kynge desyred, the lordes anone coniectured in their myndes that he desyred the kepynge of theyr yonge lorde, to y⊇ ende that he myght, etc. 1555Eden Decades 30 They coniectured that these thynges portended sum great matter. 1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 346 Occupying his pen (as by the course of his wordes, is to be conjectured) so unnecessarily. 1618Bolton Florus ii. xv. 135 The fury of the rebels may be conjectured by this, that they pluckt down house-tops.
3. To form an opinion or supposition as to facts on grounds admittedly insufficient; to guess, surmise; to propose as a conjecture in textual or historical criticism, etc.
a. with obj. clause.
1530Palsgr. 494/1 As I conjecture, it wyll be founde. 1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 40 Being not able to coniecture what purpose he should have in his hed. 1634W. Tirwhyt tr. Balzac's Lett. 57, I can lesse conjecture, that you are hindred by want of Health..I will therefore imagine whatsoever you will have me to thinke. 1789Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 117 We conjectured he meant Dr. Burney. 1866G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. xxvi. (1878) 451, I found it difficult even to conjecture from his countenance what thoughts were passing through his mind.
b. with simple obj.
1538Bale Thre Lawes G j b, The rest of the partes are easye ynough to coniecture. 1636Healey Cebes 106 A table..the meaning whereof we could not possibly conjecture. 1856Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. ii. 169 The number of Protestants at this time it is difficult to conjecture. 1879L. Campbell Sophocles I. Pref. 8 αἰκάλλουσι for ἐκκαλοῦσι in O.T. 597 was conjectured independently by Musgrave and L. Dindorf. 1885F. Temple Relat. Relig. & Sc. v. 128 We can conjecture the direction in which further advances will be made.
c. with obj. and compl. inf.
1584Fenner Def. Ministers (1587) 74, I coniecture their meaning to be this. 1655Fuller Hist. Camb. (1840) 150 Let me conjecture him of Buckingham College. 1718Lady M. W. Montague Lett. II. xlix. 57, I conjecture them to be the remains of that city. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 302 That I should conjecture to be the truth.
4. intr. To form a conjecture, make a guess, guess. Const. of (arch.), † at (obs.).
1587Turberv. Trag. T. (1837) 135 Conjecture of her cares, imagine her distresse. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. 304 If we may conjecture of these by what we finde related of others. 1646R. Baillie Anabaptisme (1647) 93, I cannot conjecture at the reason why. 1704Swift Batt. Bks. (Seager), The issue or events of this war are not so easy to conjecture at. 1832Tennyson Œnone 248 As a mother Conjectures of the features of her child Ere it is born.
†5. trans. To devise, contrive, invent; = conject v. 3.
1551Robinson tr. More's Utop. ii. (Arb.) 120 They furthwith very wittely coniectured the thinge [paper-making].
Hence conˈjectured ppl. a., conˈjecturing vbl. n. and ppl. a.
1382Wyclif Dan. ii. 5 Bot ȝe shuln shewe to me the sweuen, and the coniecturyng, or menyng therof. 1580Hollyband Treas. Fr. Tong., Devinement, coniecturing, soothsaying. 1581Sidney Apol. Poetrie (Arb.) 37 A coniectured likelihood. 1643Milton Divorce ii. xvi. (1851) 102 When all conjecturing is don. 1794J. Hutton Philos. Light, etc. 307 An opportunity of trying our conjectured theory. |