white elephantineadj.

Brit.

/ˌwʌɪt ɛlᵻˈfantʌɪn/, U.S.

/ˌ(h)waɪt ˌɛləˈfænˌtaɪn/,

/ˌ(h)waɪt ˈɛləfənˌtin/

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: white adj., elephantine adj.

Etymology: < white adj. + elephantine adj., after white elephant n.

Having the characteristics of a white elephant (white elephant n. 2).

ΚΠ

1886 Dundee Courier & Argus 14 Jan. A big gift is necessarily elephantine; and history unfortunately shows that it is apt to be white elephantine also.

1959 Economist 28 Mar. 1152/1 The white elephantine palace by the lake at Geneva may be good enough for the foreign ministers.

1971 A. Sampson New Anat. Brit. xvii. 335 Sir John Hill..had applied quite drastic economies to its white-elephantine operations.

2010 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 4 Apr. 24 The white elephantine Millennium Dome, rechristened as the O2.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	white elephantine
释义	white elephantineadj. Brit. /ˌwʌɪt ɛlᵻˈfantʌɪn/, U.S. /ˌ(h)waɪt ˌɛləˈfænˌtaɪn/, /ˌ(h)waɪt ˈɛləfənˌtin/ Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: white adj., elephantine adj. Etymology: < white adj. + elephantine adj., after white elephant n. Having the characteristics of a white elephant (white elephant n. 2). ΚΠ 1886 Dundee Courier & Argus 14 Jan. A big gift is necessarily elephantine; and history unfortunately shows that it is apt to be white elephantine also. 1959 Economist 28 Mar. 1152/1 The white elephantine palace by the lake at Geneva may be good enough for the foreign ministers. 1971 A. Sampson New Anat. Brit. xvii. 335 Sir John Hill..had applied quite drastic economies to its white-elephantine operations. 2010 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 4 Apr. 24 The white elephantine Millennium Dome, rechristened as the O2. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < adj.1886
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