喜樂美語

You can think of 'handsome' as good-looking in a strong, well-made, well-proportioned way — fine form rather than sweet or cute. From that idea of fine, ample, impressive scale, the word also stretches to money and prizes and wins: a handsome amount is good-looking in size — large.

可以把 handsome 想成『好看得很有分量』——不是甜美可愛那種，而是線條紮實、比例端正、有氣勢的好看。從這個『漂亮、可觀、有分量』的感覺，這個字也延伸到錢、獎品和勝負上：a handsome amount 就是『數目好看」——大得豐厚。

From the word’s history

First recorded around 1400 as 'handsom', meaning 'easy to handle, ready at hand' (hand + -some). It shifted to 'fit, appropriate' (1550s), then 'good-looking, of fine form' (1580s), then 'generous, on a liberal scale' (1680s). The thread is fine proportion — well-formed, well-fitting, and by extension amply sized.

約 1400 年最早寫作 handsom，意思是『好拿、順手』（hand 手 + -some）。後來轉成『合適、恰當』（1550年代），再轉成『形體端正、好看』（1580年代），再到『慷慨、大手筆』（1680年代）。貫穿的線是『比例端正』——形體好、合身，進而引申到分量十足。

etymonline.com/word/handsome (Online Etymology Dictionary)

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

同家族的字

  • 名詞handsomeness
  • 副詞handsomely

比較級 handsomer / more handsome最高級 handsomest / most handsome

原始詞典資料10 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。

handsomeadj/ˈhæn.səm/

  • 1

    Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly

    • That is one handsome tree you've got there.
    • I saw, I confess, some good dancing and some handsome women, which was all my pleasure.
  • 2

    Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive

    • I was struck dumb. Here was the most handsome man I’d ever seen in my life coming out of the surf.
    • Scott was a man then who looked like a boy with a face between handsome and pretty. He had very fair wavy hair, a high forehead, excited and friendly eyes and a delicate long-lipped Irish mouth that, on a girl, would have been the mouth of a beauty. His chin was well built and he had good ears and a handsome, almost beautiful, unmarked nose.
  • 3

    Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive

    • She was either handsome or her uniform created a flattering effect but—being very nearsighted—he couldn't tell from this distance.
  • 4

    Good, appealing, appropriate.

    • City have lapped up the plaudits this season for a series of handsome wins but manager Roberto Mancini has demanded that his side also learn to grind out results when they do not play well. He now has an example to point to.
  • 5

    Good, appealing, appropriate.

    • Sunday, the sixth, we heaved up our sheet-anchor again, the day beginning with little wind, and continued handsome weather till eight at night, when the wind came to S. S. W. and it fell a snowing.
    • The story goes that James Whitcomb Riley, the poet, on a beautiful spring day, in making his way from his home to his office, was accosted by numerous friends on the way who were exclaiming most extravagantly on the beauty of the day. It was "Good morning, Mr. Riley, a fine day;" "Good morning, Mr. Riley, […] a handsome day;" […].
  • 6

    Good, appealing, appropriate.

    • a handsome style
    • Easiness and handsome address in writing.
  • 7

    Generous or noble in character.

    • I'm a plain man, Mr. Feverel. Above board with me, and you'll find me handsome.
  • 8

    Ample; moderately large.

    • a handsome salary
    • He […] accumulated a handsome sum of money.
另外 1 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    obsoleteOf people and things: dexterous; skillful.

    • That they [engines of war] be both easy to be carried and handsome to be moved and turned about.
    • Laſtly, for a theife it is ſo handſome, as it may ſeem it was firſt invented for him

handsomeverb/ˈhæn.səm/

  • 1

    obsoleteTo render handsome.

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。