| 释义 |
dam
I. \ˈdam, ˈdaa(ə)m\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, lady, dam, variant of dame — more at dame
: a female parent — used especially of domestic animals and poultry but sometimes archaically and usually disparagingly of women
II. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English; akin to Old English fordemman to dam up, Middle High German tam dam, Old High German temmen to dam, Gothic faurdammjan to put a stop to, and perhaps to Greek themeilia foundations, tithenai to place, set — more at do
1. : a barrier preventing the flow of water
< a lava dam >
< beaver dams >
< a dam of drift or other deposits across a valley fed with meltwater — R.F.Flint >
especially : a barrier (as a bank of earth or a wall of masonry or wood) built across a watercourse to confine and keep back flowing water
2. : a body of water confined or held by a dam (as a millpond or reservoir)
< wild geese … would rise from the waters of the dam at my approach — H.V.Morton >
< swimming in this dam is prohibited >
3. : a barrier or obstruction intended to check the flow of liquid, gas, or air: as
a. : a thin sheet of rubber that is stretched around a tooth to keep it dry during dental work
b. : a partition for excluding water, fire, or gas from a section of a mine
c. : a firebrick wall or a stone forming the front of the hearth of a blast furnace
4. chiefly Britain : a portable water tank filled from a hose and used in fire fighting
III. transitive verb
(dammed ; dammed ; damming ; dams)
1. : to provide with a dam : obstruct or restrain the flow of (water) by means of a dam
< dam a stream >
— often used with up
2. : to stop up : block up
< the strait pass was dammed with dead men — Shakespeare >
: obstruct, impede
< the futility of trying to dam the flow of history >
— often used with up or back
< dam up an emotion >
< dam back his tears >
< the tensions dammed up by the depression — Oscar Handlin >
Synonyms: see hinder
IV. noun
(-s)
Etymology: back-formation from dams
Scotland : a piece in checkers; especially : king
V. abbreviation
decameter |