| 释义 |
age
I. \ˈāj\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French aage, eage, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin aetaticum, from Latin aetat-, aetas, from Old Latin aevitas, from aevum lifetime, age + -itat-, -itas -ity — more at aye
1.
a.
(1) : the length of time during which a being or thing has lived or existed : the length of life or existence from birth or beginning to the time spoken of or referred to
< the age of the student was 20 >
< the age of the wood was determined by measuring its radioactivity >
< what is the age of your car >
(2) of the moon : the time that has elapsed since the last new moon
b. : the complete duration of the life or existence of a being or thing : lifetime
< the ages of the Old Testament patriarchs were astonishingly long >
< the normal age of a dog is reckoned as 12 years >
c. : any one of the periods or stages of life
< Jaques' analysis of the seven ages of man is one of the most familiar passages in Shakespeare >
d.
(1) : the time of life at which one becomes naturally or conventionally qualified or disqualified for something
< he was past the age for military service >
(2) : maturity; specifically : the time of life at which one attains full legal rights and responsibilities
< last week he came of age >
e.
(1) : an advanced stage of life : the latter part of life
< the child of his parents' age — Alan Paton >
< the feebleness of age >
(2) : the quality or state of being old
< age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety — Shakespeare >
f. : a measure of the development, capacity, condition, or quality of an individual or of one of his traits or parts (as mentality or the skeleton) that tends to alter with age, expressed as the chronological age at which such state is mean or average
< a child of 7 with a mental age of 10 >
< X radiation revealed a bone age of 8 years and 5 months >
g. of a railroad employee : seniority or time in service
2.
a. : the period contemporary with a person's lifetime or with his active life
< the leading poet of his age >
< his ideas, considered radical in his own age, seem almost reactionary in ours >
b. : the period equal to the average span of human life : generation
< actions of the last age are like almanacs of the last year — John Denham >
< the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints — Col 1: 26 (Revised Standard Version) >
c. : a period of 100 years : century
< be true to yourselves and this new 19th age — J.R.Lowell >
d. : an indefinite but relatively long period of time in human affairs
< in that age before printing — G.F.Hudson >
< the argument can continue on through the ages — Deems Taylor >
e. : a long time : many years
< it seemed an age though it was … only a few minutes — Sheila Kaye-Smith >
< you haven't taken me to a nightclub in ages — Louis Auchincloss >
< the frames … stay smart for ages — Punch >
— see coon's age, dog's age
3.
a. : a period of time in history or in the development of man especially with reference to cultural evolution
< the golden age >
< the age of exploration >
< the atomic age >
b. : a period of time in prehistory characterized by the use of artifacts made from a distinctive material — compare bronze age, iron age, stone age
4.
a. : a period of time in the history of the earth often characterized by its dominant type of life
b. : the time during which a particular geologic event or series of events occurred — see ice age
c. : one of the divisions of geologic time usually included in an epoch
< the Lockport age of the Niagara epoch >
5.
a. : edge 7
b. : the poker player having the edge
Synonyms: see period
•
- act one's age
II. verb
(aged \ˈājd\ ; aged \“\ ; aging or ageing \ˈājiŋ\ ; ages)
Etymology: Middle English agen, from age, n.
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to grow older : become old : show the effects of or undergo change with the passage of time
< no two people age alike >
< his mind did not age — R.W.Firth >
b. : to suffer with the passage of time a diminution of essential qualities or forces
< a car battery ages during a severe winter >
2.
a. : to acquire a desirable quality by standing undisturbed for some time
< carbon paper … would easily pass the test if given time to age — C.E.Waters >
< after flour is milled it ages — S.C.Prescott >
b. : to become mellow or mature : ripen
< this cheese has aged for nearly two years >
c. of metal : to remain undisturbed at atmospheric temperature or at some higher temperature so that crystalline changes may occur
< an alloy ages >
transitive verb
1.
a. : to make old : cause or allow to grow old
< grief ages a man >
b. : to give the appearance of age to
< the painter sprayed the movie set with brown paint in order to age it >
c. : to bring about with the passage of time a diminution of essential qualities or forces of
< excessive driving at night ages a car battery >
2.
a. : to bring to a state fit for use
< the logwood chips had been properly aged >
b. : to bring to a state of maturity or ripeness : mellow
< it's the tannic acid contained in … oak … that ages the brandy — P.E.Deutschman >
c. : to cause (an alloy) to remain at an appropriate temperature for a predetermined period of time in order to induce certain changes in structure and physical or mechanical properties
< age duralumin alloys >
d. : to develop (as a dye) by passage through or by hanging in warm moist air or by the use of steam
< aged aniline black >
3. : to determine the age of
< the forester is able to age trees — Wendell Lalime >
< aging deer by dentition >
4. : to analyze (a customer's account) to rate entries as not yet due or as due for various given periods of time
Synonyms: see mature |