| 释义 |
wile
I. \ˈwīl, esp before pause or consonant ˈwīəl\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English wil, from (assumed) Old North French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old English wigle divination, sorcery — more at witch
1. : a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive : a sly artifice; also : a beguiling or playful trick
< television advertising in America has simply adapted old wiles to new forms of expression — E.S.Turner >
2. : trickery, deceitfulness, guile
Synonyms: see trick
II. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English wilen, from wil wile
1. : to lure by or as if by a magic spell : entice, beguile, allure
< his sermons would wile the birds from the trees — John Buchan >
2. [perhaps alteration (influenced in meaning by Latin decipere diem, literally, to cheat the time, French tromper le temps) of while] : to pass or spend pleasurably : while — often used with away
< wile away the long days — Virginia Woolf > |