| 释义 |
specious, a.|ˈspiːʃəs|
Also 5 specius, speceows, 5–6 specyous, 7 spetious.
[ad. L. speciōs-us fair, beautiful, fair-seeming, f. speciēs species. Hence also F. spécieux, -euse, It. spezioso, Sp. and Pg. especioso.]
1. Fair or pleasing to the eye or sight; beautiful, handsome, lovely; resplendent with beauty. ? Obs.
a. Of persons, their parts, etc., or of things.
(a)a1400Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xxiii. 146 Heil ful of grace, eke Speciouse at al, Mayden wys and þerto Meke. c1425St. Elizabeth of Spalbeck in Anglia VIII. 115/45 Hir chere semiþ þen ful specyous and cleer & gracyous. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 184 Specyous & beautyfull is he aboue all the chylder of men. 1626T. H[awkins] Caussin's Holy Crt. 45 Nicephorus relateth certaine lineaments of his stature, colour and proportion of his members,..in all parts louely and specious. 1652Gaule Magastrom. 265 Yet the wise men of Greece were not ashamed to pursue specious boyes. a1670Hacket Cent. Sermons (1675) 422 There is thy Saviour..looking like a specious Bridegroom. 1748Richardson Clarissa (1811) I. xvi. 109 Disagreeable only as another man has a much more specious person. 1791Cowper Odyss. xvii. 547 Gods! how illiberal with that specious form! 1818Hazlitt Eng. Poets i. (1870) 14 The Greek statues are little else than specious forms.
(b)1402Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 98 The pore man at the specious ȝate praiede to the apostlis to parten of her almes. c1440Gesta Rom. viii. 20 That oþer [way] specius and faire, sett aboute withe lileis and Rosis. 1582N.T. (Rhem.) Acts iii. 10 He which sate for almes at the Specious gate of the temple. 1621R. Brathwait Nat. Embassie (1877) 188 Smooth to the touch, and specious to the sight. 1651French Distill. vi. 192 So will the Spirit..be coloured with a very specious blue colour. 1697Aubrey Brief Lives (1898) I. 77 The great Cardinal Richelieu, who lived both to designe and finish that specious towne of Richelieu. 1756Burke Subl. & B. Wks. 1842 I. 57 When any object partakes of the above mentioned qualities, or of those of beautiful bodies, and is withal of great dimensions, it is full as remote from the idea of mere beauty; I call it fine or specious.
transf.c1485Digby Myst. (1882) iii. 628 To me itt is a Ioye most speceows. 1631Massinger Emperor East i. ii, Your specious titles Cannot but take her.
b. Of flowers, birds or their feathers, etc. In later use, having brilliant, gaudy, or showy colouring. Also transf.
(a)1513Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 3456 This rutilant gemme and specious floure [sc. the body of St. Werburge]. a1637B. Jonson Underwoods, Epitaph Master Corbet Wks. (1640) 178 And adde his Actions unto these, They were as specious as his Trees. a1682Sir T. Browne Misc. Tracts (1684) 93 Successive acquists of fair and specious Plants. 1731Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Saxifraga, The fourth Sort is propagated for the Sake of its specious Flowers. 1800Andrews Bot. Rep. 87 This truly specious Ixia! 1812New Botanic Gard. I. 29 The corolla specious, and purple in colour. 1837P. Keith Bot. Lex. 265 The novice in botany, who is attracted, perhaps, only by what is specious in the plant or flower.
(b)1688Holme Armoury ii. 287 It can set up specious feathers on the crown of its head like a crest. 1688Phil. Trans. XVII. 996 There be other sorts of Goldfinches variegated with red, orange and yellow Feathers, very specious and beautiful. 1786S. Goodenough in Mem. Sir J. E. Smith (1832) I. 184 Bees, several new ones, one very specious indeed. 1803Shaw Gen. Zool. IV. ii. 603 Specious Mackrel, Scomber Speciosus. 1809Ibid. VII. ii. 364 Specious Jay, Corvus speciosus. Crested green Jay.
2. Having a fair or attractive appearance or character, calculated to make a favourable impression on the mind, but in reality devoid of the qualities apparently possessed.
In certain contexts passing into the sense ‘merely apparent’.
1612T. Taylor Comm. Titus i. 16 Their actions, although neuer so good in themselues, neuer so specious vnto others,..yet are abhominable vnto God. 1644Quarles Judgm. & Mercy 144 Let not the specious goodness of the end encourage me to the unlawfulness of the means. 1681Dryden Abs. & Achit. 746 A smooth pretence Of specious love, and duty to their Prince. 1705Stanhope Paraphr. II. 264 The most specious Instances,..such as Martyrdom,..are no necessary Proofs of Charity. 1743Francis tr. Hor., Odes ii. i. 4 The specious Means, the private Aims,..how fatal to the Roman State! 1774Reid Aristotle's Logic iv. §2 (1788) 72 The friends of Aristotle have shown that this improvement of Ramus is more specious than useful. 1807Crabbe Birth Flattery 67 What are these specious gifts, these paltry gains? 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 599 It appeared that this plan, though specious, was impracticable. 1873W. H. Dixon Two Queens x. v. II. 179 What was done by him in Rome was merely specious.
absol.1676Dryden Aurengz. Ep. Ded. A ij, But somewhat of Specious they must have, to recommend themselves to Princes.
b. Of pretences, pretexts, etc.
1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. viii. 499/2 Traiterous requests..which he was now willing to maske with the specious pretext of iustice and deuotion. 1632Galway Arch. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. V. 478 The specious pretences you made. 1734Col. Records Pennsylv. III. 546 Notwithstanding the specious and ample Professions made by the Governor of Maryland. 1769Robertson Chas. V, x. III. 254 The specious pretexts which had formerly concealed his ambitious designs. 1836Thirlwall Greece xvii. III. 4 Cimon seized this specious pretext for exterminating the people.
c. Of appearance, show, etc.
a1628Preston Effect. Faith (1631) 74 There be many works that have a specious and faire shew in the view of men; But..God regards them not. 1647Clarendon Hist. Reb. iv. §172 The law..being neglected or disesteemed (under what specious shews soever). 1729Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 65 A discovery..which they..have found out through all the specious appearances to the contrary. 1735Somerville Chase ii. 313 To rob, and to destroy, beneath the Name And specious Guise of War. a1827Wordsw. Sonn. Liberty ii. vi. 10 Ere wiles and politic dispute Gave specious colouring to aim and act. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 231 A policy which had a specious show of liberality. 1870Mozley Univ. Serm. iv. (1877) 74 We have even in the early Christian Church that specious display of gifts which put aside as secondary the more solid part of religion.
d. Of falsehood, bad qualities, etc.
1665J. Glanvill Scepsis Sci. xiv. 79 Such an Infinite of uncertain opinions, bare probabilities, specious falshoods. 1682Dryden Abs. & Achit. ii. 955 Who Truth from specious falsehood can divide [etc.]. 1728Young Love Fame ii. 68 If not to some peculiar end assign'd, Study's the specious trifling of the mind. 1748W. Melmoth Fitzosborne Lett. lii. (1749) II. 63 Religion without this sovereign principle [generosity], degenerates into slavish fear, and wisdom into a specious cunning. 1823Scott Quentin D. xvii, In whose eyes the sincere devotion of a heathen is more estimable than the specious hypocrisy of a Pharisee. 1866Mrs. H. Wood St. Martin's Eve i. (1874) 4 Be not ensnared by specious deceit.
3. Of language, statements, etc.: Fair, attractive, or plausible, but wanting in genuineness or sincerity.
1651Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxi. 110 It is an easy thing, for men to be deceived, by the specious name of Libertie. 1665Manley Grotius' Low C. Wars 371 The Prince,..by an evident demonstration, confuting specious words. 1670Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 338 This motion seemed specious and welcome to the Committee. 1712Addison Spect. No. 469 ⁋5 Gratifications, Tokens of Thankfulness, Dispatch Money, and the like specious Terms. 1798S. & Ht. Lee Canterb. T. II. 230 She then imparted the specious tale of the Marquis's loss at the gaming-table. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 568 The meaning latent under this specious phrase. 1855Motley Dutch Rep. v. v. (1866) 748 The specious language of Philip's former letters.
b. Of reasoning, arguments, etc.: Plausible, apparently sound or convincing, but in reality sophistical or fallacious.
1651Hobbes Leviath. i. xv. 73 This specious reasoning is neverthelesse false. 1656tr. Hobbes' Elem. Philos. (1839) 415 For the establishing of vacuum, many and specious arguments and experiments have been brought. 1726Pope Odyss. xix. 8 To sooth their fears a specious reason feign. 1788Gibbon Decl. & F. xliv. IV. 378 A specious theory is confuted by this free and perfect experiment. 1791Mackintosh Vind. Gall. Wks. 1846 III. 107 Many subtle and specious objections are urged. 1856N. Brit. Rev. XXVI. 23 Undoubtedly it is robust good sense which is here brought to bear upon a specious sophism. 1877Geikie Christ xxvii. (1879) 308 He was not led away by such suggestions, however specious.
absol.a1850J. C. Calhoun Wks. (1874) III. 274 To this it may be traced, that the Senator prefers the specious to the solid, and the plausible to the true.
†4. Apparent, as opposed to real. Obs.—1
1617Moryson Itin. ii. 64 The Lord Deputie conceived the Earles surprise to bee an evill more spetious then materiall.
5. Of material things: Outwardly or superficially attractive or pleasing, but possessing little intrinsic worth; showy. rare.
1816Sir J. Reynolds Charac. of Painters of Italy 136 [Michael Angelo] has rejected all the false, though specious ornaments, which disgrace the works even of the most esteemed artists. 1825Macaulay Ess., Milton (1851) I. 23 We shall, like Bassanio in the play, turn from the specious caskets.., and fix on the plain leaden chest.
6. Of persons: Characterized by conduct, actions, or reasoning, of a specious nature; † outwardly respectable.
1740Richardson Pamela (1824) I. 83 But now I have found you out, you specious hypocrite! 1798Canning New Morality 84 in Poetry Anti-Jacobin (1799) 223 If Vice appal thee..Yet may the specious bastard brood, which claim A spurious homage under Virtue's name,..rouse thee! 1799W. Gilpin Serm. v. 54, I propose next to describe that of the specious or decent man. By the decent man, I mean him, who governs all his actions by appearances. 1841Dickens Barn. Rudge xl, You are a specious fellow,..and carry two fans under your hood. 1884Pall Mall G. 14 May 5/1 If we were to sum up similarly in one word the chief characteristics of their German rival, we should say that Von Hartmann was specious.
†7. Of algebra: = literal a. 1 c. Obs. (Cf. species 8 b.)
1670Collins in Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men (1841) I. 154 A design to cause Diophantus to be turned into specious algebra. 1673Kersey Algebra I. i. 2 Algebra is by late Writers divided into two kinds; to wit, Numeral and Literal (or Specious). 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v. Algebra, In 1590, Vieta..introduc'd what he call'd his ‘Specious Arithmetick’, which consists in denoting the Quantities..by Symbols or Letters.
8. Psychol. Appearing to be actually known or experienced.
1890W. James Princ. Psychol. I. 642 We are constantly conscious of a certain duration—the specious present—varying in length from a few seconds to probably not more than a minute. |