One way to hold this word: something that goes far down below the surface. Not the thin top layer you meet first, but the part that reaches all the way to the bottom — and because it reaches the bottom, it touches everything above it.

一樣東西不是停在表面,而是一路往下、深到底。你先碰到的永遠是薄薄的表層,但 profound 講的是表層底下那一大段——正因為它抵達了底部,上面的一切都被它牽動。這個「深」可以是水的深、傷口的深,也可以是感情、想法、影響力的深;英文用同一個畫面走完這幾條路。

From the word’s history

Latin profundus is built from prō- plus fundus, 'bottom' — literally 'reaching toward the bottom'. The modern word still carries that: whatever is profound has gone all the way down.

拉丁文 profundus 由 prō-(向前、向下)加 fundus(底部、根基)組成,字面就是「到底的」。fundus 這個根也活在 foundation(地基)裡。所以英文 profound 從頭到尾都在講同一件事:它抵達了底部,而不是浮在上面。

Wiktionary (profound, from Latin profundus < prō- + fundus 'bottom, foundation')

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

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。

profoundadj/pɹəˈfaʊnd/

  • 1

    Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep.

    • A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog
  • 2

    Very deep; very serious.

  • 3

    Intellectually deep; entering far into subjects; reaching to the bottom of a matter, or of a branch of learning; thorough.

    • a profound investigation
    • a profound scholar
  • 4

    Characterized by intensity; deeply felt; pervading.

    • How now! which of your hips has the most profound sciatica?
    • Of the profound corruption of this class there can be no doubt.
  • 5

    Bending low, exhibiting or expressing deep humility; lowly; submissive.

    • And with this, and a profound bow to his patrons, the Manager retires, and the curtain rises.
    • What humble gestures! What profound reverence!

profoundnoun/pɹəˈfaʊnd/

  • 1

    obsoleteThe deep; the sea; the ocean.

    • God, in the fathomlesse profound / Hath all his choice Commanders drown'd.
  • 2

    obsoleteAn abyss.

    • […]if some other place, / From your dominion won, th' Ethereal King / Possesses lately, thither to arrive / travel this profound. Direct my course[…]

profoundverb/pɹəˈfaʊnd/

  • 1

    obsoleteTo cause to sink deeply; to cause to dive or penetrate far down.

  • 2

    obsoleteTo dive deeply; to penetrate.

    • But no man is likely to profound tbe Ocean of that Doctrine

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。