cherry的词源
英文词源
- cherry
- cherry: [14] Cherry comes ultimately from Greek kerasós ‘cherry tree’, which in Latin became cerasus. This was borrowed into the Germanic languages in prehistoric times, producing, as well as German kirsche, Old English ciris ‘cherry’, which died out in the 11th century. In Vulgar Latin, meanwhile, cerasus had become ceresia, which passed into Old Northern French as cherise (source of modern French cerise). When it was borrowed into English, its -s ending was misinterpreted as indicating plurality, so a ‘new’ singular cherry was created.
- cherry (n.)
- c. 1300, earlier in surname Chyrimuth (1266, literally "Cherry-mouth"); from Anglo-French cherise, from Old North French cherise (Old French, Modern French cerise, 12c.), from Vulgar Latin *ceresia, from late Greek kerasian "cherry," from Greek kerasos "cherry tree," possibly from a language of Asia Minor. Mistaken in Middle English for a plural and stripped of its -s (compare pea).
Old English had ciris "cherry" from a West Germanic borrowing of the Vulgar Latin word (cognate with German Kirsch), but it died out after the Norman invasion and was replaced by the French word. Meaning "maidenhead, virginity" is from 1889, U.S. slang, from supposed resemblance to the hymen, but perhaps also from the long-time use of cherries as a symbol of the fleeting quality of life's pleasures.
中文词源
来自拉丁词cerasus,樱桃，词源同cerise。
该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：cherry 词源，cherry 含义。
意为“樱桃”的cherry原作cherries，源自法语cerise／cherise，后来人们把本不是复数名词，而听起来像复数名词的cherries误作复数，从而去掉词尾-s逆构出cherrie／cherry这一形式。类似的例子还有几个，如本不是复数名词的pease，buriels，sherris也被误作复数名词，并逆生出pea（豌豆），burial（埋葬），sherry（雪利酒）这样的单数形式。可是另一方面，有些词本是复数名词，却被误作单数使用，如chess（国际象棋），invoice（发票），truce（停战协定）等即是。(参见chess)
