| 释义 |
de·fy
I. \də̇ˈfī, dēˈ-\ transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-es)
Etymology: Middle English defyen, from Old French desfier, defier, from des-, de- de- + fier to entrust, confide, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin fidare, alteration of Latin fidere to trust — more at bide
1. archaic
a. : to renounce all bonds of faith or obligation with : reject, repudiate
b. : to declare war against : challenge to combat
c. : despise, disdain
2. : to seek to provoke or goad (a person, agency, or power) into trying to perform, do, or achieve something typically with mocking certainty that the attempt will fail
< I defy him to find the Gate, however well he may think he knows the City — Rudyard Kipling >
3. : to confront (a person, agency, force) with or as if with a superior resisting force felt as certain to prevail, vanquish, or baffle : withstand or contravene (as treatment or influence) with assured power of resistance
< the tall erect figure, defying age, and the perfectly bald scalp defying the weather — Upton Sinclair >
< every great novel has broken many conventions. The greatest of all novels defies every formula — Ellen Glasgow >
Synonyms: see face
II. \“, ˈdēˌfī\ noun
(-es)
Etymology: Middle French defi, desfi, from defier, desfier to defy, from Old French
: challenge, defiance
< observers took this to be a form of defy — Jack Alexander > |