释义 |
hec·tic I. \ˈhektik, -tēk\ adjective Etymology: alteration (influenced by Late Latin hecticus) of Middle English etyk (as in fever etyk hectic fever), from Middle French etique, from Late Latin hecticus, from Greek hektikos habitual, habit-forming, consumptive, from hekt- (akin to echein to have) + -ikos -ic — more at scheme 1. a. : habitual, constitutional, persistent; specifically of a fever : fluctuating but persistently recurrent < hectic fevers are characteristic of tuberculosis and septicemia > b. : characteristic of or habitually accompanying a hectic fever < the hectic flush of tuberculosis > 2. : marked by a hectic condition : having a hectic fever : consumptive < a hectic patient > 3. : having a glowing quality : flushed, red < the hectic color had brightened in the boy's impatient face — Harriet La Barre > 4. : characterized by excitement, bustle, or feverish activity : restless < the hectic years after oil was discovered — Harold Griffin > < hectic travel through thirty different countries — Carveth Wells > < things were so hectic we couldn't even keep track of the people, let alone the material — N.O.Wahlstrom > • hec·ti·cal·ly \-tə̇k(ə)lē, -tēk-, -li\ adverb II. noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English etyk, short for fever etyk 1. : a hectic fever 2. : one affected by a hectic fever; especially : consumptive 3. : hectic flush |