bribe的词源

英文词源

bribe

bribe: [14] The origin of bribe is obscure, and its semantic history is particularly involved. The word first turns up in Old French, as a noun meaning ‘piece of bread, especially one given to a beggar’. From this, the progression of senses seems to have been to a more general ‘alms’; then to the ‘practice of living on alms’; then, pejoratively, to simple ‘begging’. From there it was a short step to ‘stealing’, and that was the meaning the verb had when first recorded in English.

The shift to the current application to financial corruption occurred in the 16th century, originally, it seems, in the context of judges and others in authority who exacted, or ‘stole’, money in exchange for favours such as lenient sentences.

bribe (n.)

late 14c., "thing stolen," from Old French bribe "bit, piece, hunk; morsel of bread given to beggars" (14c., compare Old French bribeor "vagrant, beggar"), from briber, brimber "to beg," a general Romanic word (Gamillscheg marks it as Rotwelsch, i.e. "thieves' jargon"), of uncertain origin; old sources suggest Celtic (compare Breton breva "to break"). Shift of meaning to "gift given to influence corruptly" is by mid-15c.

bribe (v.)

late 14c., "pilfer, steal," also "practice extortion," from Old French briber "go begging," from bribe (see bribe (n.)). Related: Bribed; bribing.

中文词源

bribe（贿赂）：送给乞丐的小块面包

英语单词bribe来自古法语，本意是“送给乞丐的小块面包”，因此拼写上与bread（面包）有关。后来，由于乞丐和小偷往往相伴而生，有些人讨不来钱就小偷小摸，因此，bribe又衍生出“被小偷偷走的东西、赃物”之意。再后来，有些人不仅小偷小摸，还公然敲诈勒索，因此，bribe又可以用来表示被迫送给这些人的礼物或钱财。再往后，人们主动送给权势之人以换取利益的礼物或钱财也被称为bribe，即我们中文所谓的“贿赂”。

bribe： [braɪb] n.贿赂v.贿赂，收买

bribery： ['braɪbərɪ] n.贿赂，行贿，受贿

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：bribe 词源，bribe 含义。

bribe：贿赂

发音释义：[braɪb] vt.贿赂；收买vi.行贿n.贿赂；行贿罪

词源解释：bribe←古英语bribe（赃物）←古法语bribe（给乞丐的一块面包）←通用拉丁语briber（乞求）

英语单词bribe来自古法语，最初的含义是“送给乞丐的小块面包”，因此拼写上与bread（面包）有关。后来，由于乞丐和小偷往往相伴而生，有些人讨不来钱就小偷小摸，因此，bribe又衍生出“被小偷偷走的东西、赃物”。再后来，有些人不仅小偷小摸，还公然敲诈勒索，因此，bribe又可以用来表示被迫送给这些人的礼物或钱财。再往后，人们主动送给权势之人以换取利益的礼物或钱财也被称为bribe，即我们中文所谓的“贿赂”。

衍生词：bribery（贿赂；行贿；受贿）

助记窍门：与bride（新娘）一起记：要想娶到bride（新娘），就得花钱bribe（贿赂）。

bribe：贿赂

在古英语指施舍给乞丐的小片面包，词源同break, 分开，小块。

bribe：贿赂，行贿　　

直接借自古法语，在14世纪法语中原指“（施与乞丐的）面包片”。当bribe进入英语时，它最初表示“偷窃”或“勒索”。到了16世纪这些词义逐渐被废弃，转用于今天仍在使用的词义“贿赂”，“行贿”。现代法语还保留着bribe一词，其单数形式表示“碎片”，“小块”，复数形式则指“残余”或“残羹剩饭”。

bribe：贿赂  

bribe来源于古法语,最初的意义是“给乞丐的一片面包”,然后是“施舍物”、“靠施舍生活”,发展到轻蔑的语义“乞讨”“偷窃”。英语得到这个词汇时已发展到“偷窃”的语义,现代的语义始于16世纪。