喜樂美語

You can picture inform as putting something into someone's head that was not there before, so that afterwards their picture of the situation is different. Usually what goes in is facts and the person now knows; sometimes what goes in is deeper — an experience or an idea that quietly shapes everything the person makes.

可以想成 inform 是「把東西放進某人腦袋裡，放進去之後那個人對事情的畫面就不一樣了」。多數時候放進去的是消息，對方因此「知道了」；但這個字還有比較深的一面——放進去的是一段經歷或一種想法，它不會被講出來，而是慢慢把這個人做出來的東西塑成某個樣子。

From the word’s history

From Latin informare, literally 'to shape, give form to', from in- ('into') + formare ('to form, shape'), from forma ('form'). It came into English in the early 14c. through Old French informer, first meaning 'to train or instruct in some subject'; the sense 'report facts or news, communicate information to' developed by the late 14c.

inform 來自拉丁文 informare，字面是「給它一個形狀、把它塑成型」（in- 進去 + formare 成形，來自 forma 形狀）。14 世紀初經古法文進入英文時，指的是「教導、訓練某人」，也就是把一個人的腦袋塑出形狀；到 14 世紀末才長出「把消息告訴某人」的意思。知道這一層，第二個用法就不奇怪了——說某人的作品 is informed by 某段經歷，講的正是這個字最原始的意思：那段經歷給了作品形狀。

Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), entry 'inform'

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

同家族的字

過去式 informed過去分詞 informed-ing informing三單 informs

意思相近

tellshaped bynotifyinfluenced byadviseinspired bylet know

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。

informverb詞源 1/ɪnˈfɔɹm/

  • 1

    archaicTo instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge).

  • 2

    To communicate knowledge to.

    • For he would learn their business secretly, / And then inform his master hastily.
    • I am informed thoroughly of the cause.
  • 3

    To impart information or knowledge.

  • 4

    To act as an informer; denounce.

  • 5

    To give form or character to; to inspire (with a given quality); to affect, influence (with a pervading principle, idea etc.).

    • His sense of religion informs everything he writes.
    • But others declare that no Creature can be made or tranſmuted into a better or vvorſe, or transformed into another ſpecies or ſimilitude, by man, or devill. […] Martinus [i.e., Martin] Delrio the Jeſuit accounts this degeneration of Man into a Beaſt to be an illuſion, deceptive and repugnant to Nature; for, the ſoule of man cannot informe a beaſts body, […]
  • 6

    obsoleteTo make known, wisely and/or knowledgeably.

  • 7

    formalTo direct, guide.

    • Don’t forget the code of ethics that informs this profession.
  • 8

    archaicTo take form; to become visible or manifest; to appear.

    • It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes.

informadj詞源 2/ɪnˈfɔɹm/

  • 1

    Without regular form; shapeless; ugly; deformed.

    • Bleak Crags, and naked Hills, And the whole Prospect so inform and rude

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。