You can picture a weight on a line dropped straight down into deep water — it does not drift, it goes down fast, headfirst, all at once. Everything else the word does keeps that motion: something committing itself downward with speed and no halfway.

一條綁著鉛塊的繩子被丟進深水裡,鉛塊不是慢慢飄下去,而是頭朝下、一口氣直墜到底。這個字的字源本來就跟「鉛」有關(拉丁文 plumbum),畫的正是那種重物往下衝的動作——不是滑落、不是傾斜,而是又快又猛、中間沒有緩衝。後來不管講價格、講船身、講一個人做決定,用的都還是這個「整個投進去、沒有半途」的感覺。

From the word’s history

From Old French plongier, from an unattested Late Latin frequentative *plumbico 'to throw a leaded line', from plumbum 'lead' — the sounding-line dropped into water to measure depth.

來自古法文 plongier,再往上追到晚期拉丁文推測形式 *plumbicō「拋出鉛線」,源頭是 plumbum「鉛」。水手用鉛錘測水深,把鉛塊往下丟——這個「重物垂直落下、進到水裡」的動作,就是今天所有 plunge 用法共同的畫面來源。

Wiktionary (English 'plunge', etymology section, citing Old French plongier < Late Latin *plumbicō < plumbum)

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

原始詞典資料16 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。

plungeverb詞源 1/plʌnd͡ʒ/

  • 1

    To thrust into liquid, or into any penetrable substance; to immerse.

    • to plunge the body into water
    • "Most of them don't wash. Those who do usually plunge their head into some brook or rill, if there happens to be one about."
  • 2

    To cast, stab or throw deep and fast into some thing, state, condition or action.

    • to plunge a dagger into the breast
    • to plunge a nation into war
  • 3

    obsoleteTo baptize by immersion.

  • 4

    To dive, leap or rush (into water or some liquid); to submerge oneself.

    • he plunged into the river
  • 5

    To fall or rush headlong into some thing, action, state or condition.

    • to plunge into debt
    • to plunge into controversy
  • 6

    To pitch or throw oneself headlong or violently forward, as a horse does.

    • [N]ature affects a looſe kinde of liberty, vvhich it cannot indure to have reſtrained: neither fares it othervviſe vvith it, then vvith ſome vvilde colt; which at the firſt taking up, flings and plunges, and vvill ſtand on no ground; but after it hath been ſomvvhile diſciplin'd at the Poſt, is grovvn tractable, and quietly ſubmits either to the ſaddle, or the collar: […]
  • 7

    slangTo bet heavily and recklessly; to risk large sums in gambling.

  • 8

    obsoleteTo entangle or embarrass (mostly used in past participle).

    • Plunged and gravelled with three lines of Seneca.
另外 1 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    obsoleteTo overwhelm, overpower.

plungenoun詞源 1/plʌnd͡ʒ/

  • 1

    The act of plunging or submerging.

  • 2

    A dive, leap, rush, or pitch into (into water).

    • to take the water with a plunge
    • A plunge into the sea
  • 3

    datedA swimming pool.

  • 4

    The act of pitching or throwing oneself headlong or violently forward, like an unruly horse.

  • 5

    slangHeavy and reckless betting in horse racing; hazardous speculation.

  • 6

    obsoleteAn immersion in difficulty, embarrassment, or distress; the condition of being surrounded or overwhelmed; a strait; difficulty.

plungeverb詞源 2/plʌnd͡ʒ/

  • 1

    To remove a blockage by suction.

    • to plunge a toilet

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。