喜樂美語

One way to picture it: someone is walking along and suddenly a rope is pulled tight across their path — they trip, they stumble, and everyone standing around sees it happen. Embarrass is putting a person in that position: not hurt, but caught out and stuck, with an audience watching.

一個人正走著，前面忽然被拉起一條繩子，他絆了一下、腳步全亂，而旁邊剛好一堆人在看。embarrass 做的就是把人放進這個位置——沒受傷，但被卡住了、被看見了，一時之間動也不是、退也不是。這個字的重量幾乎都來自「有人在看」：同樣一件事，關起門來發生就沒事，在眾人面前發生才叫 embarrass。

From the word’s history

The word travels into English from French embarrasser, meaning to block, impede, obstruct. Further back the Spanish and Portuguese forms (embarazar / embaraçar) connect to baraço, a cord or noose — something you get tangled in. The old sense is physical entanglement; the modern sense is the social version of being tangled up and unable to move.

這個字經法文 embarrasser 進入英文，當時的意思是「阻擋、妨礙、使動彈不得」，跟現在的「尷尬」還沒關係。再往上追，西班牙文 embarazar、葡萄牙文 embaraçar 連到 baraço——一條繩索、套索，也就是會把人纏住的東西。所以最早的 embarrass 是身體上的被纏住、被絆住；後來這個「動彈不得」搬進了社交場合，變成心理上的卡住：你站在那裡，臉紅，講不出話，想離開又不能走。理解這條線之後，for two embarrassing minutes（尷尬的兩分鐘）那種「被困住」的感覺就特別合理了。

Entry origin note: from French embarrasser (block, impede, obstruct), tracing back through Old Galician-Portuguese embaraçar / baraço

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容易混在一起的字在訂閱裡。容易混在一起的字需要訂閱帳號。

同家族的字

過去式 embarrassed過去分詞 embarrassed-ing embarrassing三單 embarrasses

原始詞典資料9 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

Embarrassname

  • 1

    A river or settlement in the United States:

  • 2

    A river or settlement in the United States:

  • 3

    A river or settlement in the United States:

  • 4

    A river or settlement in the United States:

  • 5

    A river or settlement in the United States:

embarrassverb/ɪmˈbæɹəs/

  • 1

    To disrupt someone's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely.

    • The crowd's laughter and jeers embarrassed him.
  • 2

    To hinder from liberty of movement; to impede; to obstruct.

    • The motion was advanced in order to embarrass the progress of the bill.
    • If they [registers] act It all, it must be by opposing their flat surfaces to the current of rising smoke in a manner which cannot fail to embarrass and impede its motion..
  • 3

    To involve in difficulties concerning money matters; to encumber with debt; to beset with urgent claims or demands.

    • A man or his business is embarrassed when he cannot meet his pecuniary engagements.
  • 4

    formalTo perplex mentally; confuse, disconcert; catch off guard.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。